


Allegro

by MelodicWriter



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ballet, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Ballet, Dancing, Drama, Emotional, Emotionally Repressed, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Naruto is the sweetest, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Sasuke sucks at taking care of himself, Slow Build, Trauma, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2019-10-31 05:58:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 129,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17843759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodicWriter/pseuds/MelodicWriter
Summary: Naruto likes ballet. Sasuke is a male ballet dancer.





	1. Act 2 Scene 2

Naruto Uzumaki had a collection of guilty pleasures; things he wouldn't admit, not even to his closest friend Sakura. She would mock him for it. That he knew with certainty. It didn't take a genius (which Naruto certainly was not) to realize that she was pretty judgmental. She made that known with her frequent eye rolls and pointed comments. While a large amount of them were directed towards strangers or people that both she and Naruto knew, a fair share came his way too.

Some things were better kept to himself. He didn't mind watching shitty reality TV and eating ramen until the late hours of the morning or dancing alone to some bubblegum pop song. To some, those weren't even guilty pleasures. They were just normal things enjoyed without shame.

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't like those people. There was a sort of pressure on him from his friends to like the things they liked. While it was fine for the most part, Naruto didn't always have interests that aligned with theirs. He wasn't that fond of dogs like Kiba. He didn't like playing chess and strategy games like Shikamaru. He didn't like intense wrestling matches and fighting like Rock Lee. He didn't like... whatever Sakura's interest of the month was. Right now it was french films.

Out of all of Naruto's guilty pleasures, the biggest one was ballet. Not doing ballet himself, but going to watch various ballet shows around town. He sat far back in the audience in case someone there possibly recognized him. It would be an easy escape. All he would need to do was sneak out through the dim theater and out into the hall. He evaded eye contact with those around him and focused solely on the performers on stage. Even if the shows were repeats, he would go again.

He never got tired of it. No matter how many times he saw a certain show, it was always an enjoyable time. He would find things he didn't notice the first or second time around. Sometimes it was the subtle shift in rhythm or a an extra movement. He watched each show with a careful eye. At the end, he would always be the one clapping the loudest.

Thinking about it, Naruto wasn't sure what drew him to ballet as opposed to other interests. There were plenty of other things he liked, but this one resonated the strongest with him. Whether it was the airy music, the variety of the shows, the immense talent it took, or the embellished costumes, one thing was for certain. Naruto loved ballet, a lot.

It felt bad to hide such a big part of himself from his friends, but he knew it was better this way. He would rather keep it a secret than deal with the scrutiny.

"I can't hang out with you tonight."

Naruto and Sakura were walking along the sidewalk. There was a slight breeze in the crisp Autumn air, making the hairs on Naruto's neck stand up. He wished he had worn a coat like Sakura told him to do. She was comfortable in her wool jacket while Naruto froze his ass off. Hearing Naruto say this, she frowned.

"Why not? We've been planning to hang out since Monday."

"I'm," Naruto ravaged his brain for a plausible excuse. "Not feeling well. Making it through today was hard enough. I think I caught the virus going around." For good measure, he forced a cough, which was dry.

Sakura moved her pink hair out of her face to get a better look at Naruto. Narrowing her eyes, she inspected his face. "You don't look sick."

"It's more an internal thing. It doesn't show on your face until a couple days in." Naruto said. "I'll look like death next time you see me, I'm sure."

Sakura, still not convinced, rolled her eyes in typical Sakura fashion. "What about our movie night at Shikamaru's house? Rock Lee was really excited to show us Karate Kid. It's his choice for the movie. He hasn't shut up about it since it became his turn."

"Let me know how it was. We have phones, y'know." Naruto waved his phone in Sakura's face. She slapped his hand, the phone almost falling onto the cracked pavement.

"It's not the same, but I'll let them know you couldn't make it." Sakura said. "Make sure you get rest and try to eat more than just ramen."

"No promises." Naruto laughed. Though he wouldn't be staying home swaddled in blankets with a thermometer in his throat, ramen sounded pretty good. His stomach growled at the thought. He realized he hadn't eaten for a good 8 hours and it would be good if he ate before heading out tonight.

"I'm gonna head home now. Have a good time tonight. Remember, I'm just a text away."

Sakura playfully shoved Naruto. "Yeah, yeah. Go rest, sick boy."

"Will do." Naruto diverged from the path he and Sakura were on and headed towards his house. The walk there was relaxing; the only sounds the falling leaves and his footsteps.

He unlocked the door and made his way to the kitchen to make himself the dinner his stomach was intently requesting. Lucky for his appetite, there was plenty of ramen in his household. He might not have a ton of other foods like vegetables or fruits, but there was enough ramen to feed an entire village. Since there were a couple of hours until night fall and Naruto had to leave, he had time to make actual ramen instead of Instant Ramen which he usually consumed.

Naruto wasn't the best cook, but the one thing he mastered was ramen. Tonight he was making it with chicken, mushrooms, eggs, and scallions. The final product looked pretty good (if he did say so himself) and the smell coming from the bowl made him nearly drool. He poured the ramen into a smaller bowl and took a seat at the counter.

While eating, he opened his laptop and searched up the show tonight. It was called Aida. According to the internet, it was an opera taking place in Ancient Egypt that involved forbidden love. From the pictures, Naruto thought it looked pretty interesting. The dancers were in white robes that winded across their bodies as they posed, large pillars inscribed with hieroglyphics on them. He was so intrigued that he dropped part of his meal on the keyboard.

It took him a few seconds to notice the mess. He looked down to type something else into the search bar and his fingers met a damp piece of chicken. He recoiled, making a grossed out face, and went to get a paper towel.

Once he took care of the mess, Naruto went back to his laptop. He divided the next couple of hours between looking at more photos, showering, and picking out what he was going to wear. For productions like this, he liked to dress up. Not too much, for fear of being spotted, but enough to where he looked like he belonged.

He settled on wearing a black long sleeve button up and ivy green pants, a thick belt running across the middle of the look. He kept in mind it would be even colder now that the sky was pitch black. Before heading outside for good, he slipped on a long, black coat. Immediately he was glad he did. The air was biting at his cheeks and hands.

By car, it took ten minutes to arrive at the venue. Naruto found a parking spot miraculously in the cramped parking lot. It was in the back of the lot, but it was a spot nonetheless. He maneuvered around rows of parked cars and people walking around. He noticed that most of the people were in couplings or small groups. Naruto felt a bit vulnerable at the fact that he was alone. It was disheartening to see people sharing the experience together while he was all by himself.

When Naruto got to the front of the theater he grabbed his ticket from the back pocket of his pants. He recognized the person taking tickets right away. He was the one usually in charge of the task. As Naruto approached with his ticket, the guy smiled at him.

"Hey Naruto! Coming to see the show tonight?"

Naruto handed the ticket over. "Yeah."

"You're in luck. It's the first performance of this show here." He stamped the ticket and handed it back. "There's rumor that Sasuke Uchiha has a part in the ballet."

"Sasuke Uchiha?" Naruto was confused. He was pretty involved in ballet, and yet he had never heard that name before. "Who's that?"

"You don't know Sasuke?! Wow, for a ballet enthusiast you should really do more research. He's quickly becoming one of the best male ballet dancers in the area. He hasn’t had many roles though, so I guess it makes sense you haven’t heard of him." 

Naruto couldn't hide his intrigue. His eyes widened as he listened to the guy give some details about whoever this Sasuke was. Apparently, not a lot was known about his personal life. Most of the knowledge on him was his rising stardom within ballet circles. He was about to ask another question when he felt a nudge on his back.

"The show is going to start soon. Hurry up!" A disgruntled voice rang out.

Naruto shoved the ticket back down into his pocket, nodded thanks to the guy, and walked through the large theater doors. Inside was even more crowded than the outside, and that was saying something. Women in elaborate dresses and men in classy suits roamed the tiled floor. Naruto felt under dressed. He wasn't wearing an expensive suit. The ticket alone was pricey enough. This was one of the more fancy ballets Naruto attended and it was safe to say he was a bit intimidated.

"Oh it's so nice to see you. I'm glad you could make it."

"I'm glad you could too. This is supposed to be a very good show."

"It is. My friend saw a version of it performed in her hometown and she said it was lovely. There is a different set of dancers for this one though. Did you know Sasuke Uchiha is said to have a part in it?"

Naruto listened, angling his head towards the voices. It was the second time Sasuke's name came up and he was curious on what was going to be said.

"No way. I think you heard that wrong."

"Maybe. It's always possible I misheard something. If it's true though, that would be amazing."

"I haven't seen much of his work, but I know it's good."

"That's an understatement. It's-" The one voice was cutoff and replaced with a squeal of delight. "Hey! You're finally here. We should go find our seats."

Naruto snapped out of his trance-like state and went to find his seat as well. The show started in ten minutes and he didn't want to miss a single second of it. The theater itself was stunning with a high ceiling, maroon draping, and gold everywhere. Naruto's seat was in one of the back rows (as usual) and he sat down quietly. While he waited for the show to start, he stared up at the paintings on the walls. Many of them depicted cherubs with chubby bellies and small wings protruding from their backs.

"Excuse me. My seat is next to yours."

Naruto glanced up. A woman with brown hair put up into two buns on the side of her head looked down at Naruto.

"Sorry," He mumbled, standing up and back against his seat so she could get through. She waved her hand and sat down in the seat next to Naruto's.

"It's fine. You looked preoccupied anyways."

When Naruto went to shows, he kept to himself. He bothered no one and no one bothered him. He found it strange to actually be having a conversation with someone. "The theater is beautiful."

"First time at this theater?"

"Yeah. The performances I see are usually at less upscale places." Naruto was surprised how at ease he felt. The girl seemed to be pretty nonthreatening. "How about you?"

"I've been here before. My friend is actually in the show." The girl tapped her painted nails on the pamphlet.

"Really? That's so cool. Good luck to your friend." Naruto said, letting his body relax. The lights dimmed.

"Oh, looks like the show is about to start. Enjoy." She smiled. Her gaze moved from meeting Naruto's to the stage, where the curtains ascended to the ceiling.

Naruto watched as a man in a headdress and robe walked out on stage and began bellowing, his voice deep and rich. It didn't take long for him to get fully absorbed into the world of Aida. He payed no attention to what was around him and focused on the performers.

Then, as Act 2 scene 2 approached Naruto saw something that caught his eye; a flash of black hair the color of a raven's wings. The black shade stood out among the sea of sandy blonde and mousy brown. Naruto was drawn to it instantly, looking to see more of the dancer. He had a serious expression on his face. His lips were pressed shut, almost tugging downwards into a frown. The dark eyeliner around his eyes matched the shade of his irises, which were so dark they appeared black themselves. All of the black was a striking contrast to his skin; a pale white that didn't appear to have a single blemish.

He was wearing a white and gold chiton, tied with a thin rope in the middle that accentuated the man's slender form. The garment was cut in a way Naruto could see his sharp collarbones peeking out of the top. He moved so gracefully around the stage that he looked weightless. He didn't make a single misstep. Every move he made was calculated and done with purpose. His long arms stretched out as if they were beckoning Naruto to join him on the stage. Naruto knew it was stupid, but his body didn't think so. His heart began to thrum faster in his chest, despite Naruto being seated.

For part of the scene, the women and men came together in small pairs of two and danced together. The man was paired with a woman with ice blue eyes and thick, blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. They moved in sync. The man, although thin, clearly had strength. He lifted the girl into the air as she kicked her leg up high. He moved her around his body and back to the ground as they faced each other. Both of them had the same intense look on their faces.

During the scene, there were a good number of people on stage. Probably at least thirty, and yet Naruto couldn't take his eyes off the black-haired man. He tried to look to some of the other performers, but it was useless. His eyes always found their way back to the man and his lithe body. He was captivated. Even when the number ended, he found himself wanting more.

Unfortunately, his time on stage was brief. For the rest of the show, Naruto didn't see him appear again. He was holding out that maybe he would be in another scene, but was left hanging as the show came to a close. Even during the bows of the cast, there was no sight of the man.

"How did you like it?" The woman asked as the lights came back on.

"It was good. Really great show." He hid his disappointment and stood up. "Tell your friend they did a good job."

"Will do." She rose from her seat. "Will I be seeing you at the next performance?"

Naruto nodded. "Probably. Maybe we'll end up sitting next to each other again."

"That's a possibility. Well, I should go meet my friend backstage. Have a good night-"

"Naruto." He answered, filling in the blank where his name was supposed to be.

"Naruto," She repeated. "I'm Tenten. It's nice to meet you, Naruto." She walked out of the row and through the back doors.

The thought crossed Naruto's mind to follow her and see if he could find the man backstage and at least learn his name or something about him, but it was already getting pretty late. Naruto slipped his coat on, walked out of the theater, and got into his car. Images of the man spinning and twirling played in his mind over and over the entire drive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I recently got into Naruto (although I've liked this pairing for awhile. Before I even got into the actual anime) so I decided to write an AU fic. Hope you like it! I'm a bit nervous, but hope it goes well:)


	2. Show-off

"Alright from the top again," Mr.Hatake said, walking to the front of the room. "Some of you still need to work on your movements." He motioned to the girl by the stereo. "Start the track up."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. As usual, his class wasn't up to par with Mr.Hatake's high standards. Not that all of them were terrible, but it was apparent by how they were stumbling through the choreography that either they didn't care or they weren't advanced enough to do what he said. He stretched out his feet, which were starting to cramp. He had been in the dance studio for a couple of hours and it was beginning to take a toll on his body.

Sasuke got into first position. He could practically do the routine in his sleep with how much he had gone over it. The movements were ingrained into his feet at this point. Mr.Hatake began to count them down.

"1, 2, 3, and start," Mr.Hatake said, his black eyes raking over everyone in the room. No matter the amount of dancers in class that Mr.Hatake was trying to watch at once, he could always spot mistakes. Even if they were small, nothing went beyond him. Sasuke first learned that when he started working with Mr.Hatake. He didn't think the man would notice if he went into a demi plié rather than a normal plié, but of course he did and made the entire class redo the routine because of his mistakes. That was the thing with Mr.Hatake; he demanded perfection.

The airy music filled the room and Sasuke began the routine. It was fairly easy to him. He had gotten used to this one and it felt natural to him. He made sure to stay on the tips of his toes as he spun around and kept his legs extended as he leapt through the air. He could feel Mr.Hatake's gaze on him. He was about to go into his chaîné turns, but Mr.Hatake's voice broke his concentration.

"Stop the music."

Sasuke looked around the room with narrowed eyes. _Who messed up this time,_ he thought with annoyance.

"It's plié ,développé , grand battement, pirouette, sauté, chaîné, glissa-" Mr.Hatake stopped before he could get out the rest of his sentence. "Actually you know what, Sasauke come up here."

Sasuke put his arms back down to his sides and walked over to where Mr.Hatake stood, not sure why he was being called to the front of the room.

"Sasuke, I want you to perform the routine in front of everyone."

Sasuke got into position, tilting his head up to the ceiling. He pointed his foot and waited for the music to play, his breath shallow as he anticipated the violin strings. Mr.Hatake moved away, his back touching the mirror wall. The opening notes came from the stereo.

Time to show everyone what he was really made of.

Sasuke bent down and came up into the développé seamlessly, his body moving as one. He went into the grand battement. He lifted his leg back and kept it straight before pulling it back to his body. By now, every pair of eyes in the room was watching him intently. Sasuke guessed some of them were hoping he would make a mistake or do the wrong move.

They would be out of luck. Sasuke wouldn't mess this up.

Without a break in the fluidity of his form, Sasuke quickly changed into fourth position for his pirouette. His fingertips touched as he brought his arms into first position. He releved onto his front leg while bringing his back leg into passe, his foot pointed sharply. His toes brushed against his skin as he did so. With his leg that was on the ground, he began spinning. The hoop of his arms kept his balance stable and upright. Whenever he did a pirouette, he reminded himself of a ballerina on a child's music box.

He ended the pirouette with one arm reaching out and the other trailing behind him. His feet posed in opposite directions. From there, he went back to first position and sautéd. He jumped into the air, his feet straight and narrow before flattening so he could land. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he prepared to chaîné turn. Sasuke always like to chaîné and any other spinning moves. They made him feel unstoppable.

The chaîné turns were quick. His feet were pressed together as he did a series of a couple spins, his feet moving fast to keep his speed up. Sasuke posed at the end of the spins, letting some of the dizziness subside before going into the glissade. The glissade was a more mellow move. His legs crossed over one another as he glided across the floor, arms sticking out as if they were leading his legs.

Though Mr.Hatake hadn't named the rest of the routine, Sasuke knew it by heart. After the gentle glissades, the moves picked up in intensity. He kicked his legs up in the air, his feet making contact with each other before they landed back to the ground. He placed his hands into another hoop and let his arms flow out. From there, he began leaping up into the air. His legs bent at the knees as they took turns being suspended off the ground. He did a couple more pas de chats, posing with an arm raised to his chin.

The routine was almost done. Just a couple moves left. So far, Sasuke had executed them perfectly. Not a single limb was out of place. He could feel Ino's searing glare all the way across the room. She was just waiting for him to misstep, he knew it.

Sasuke twirled around three times and went immediately into another glissade before finishing off with a grand jeté. As he jumped, his legs extended so far, it was as if Sasuke was doing a split midair. His ending pose was with his arms raised high and his back arched gracefully. The music faded out. Sasuke wiped the sweat from his face as he caught his breath.

Mr.Hatake clapped, his applause echoing throughout the studio. He nodded his head approvingly.

"And _that's_ how it should look. I hope all of you were paying attention to Sasuke during that. I expect all of you to be at that level. Our first performance of Aida is tonight and we want a good impression," Mr.Hatake said, simultaneously complimenting Sasuke and reprimanding the rest of the dancers. "Now, get with your partner for the paired part of the number. We're going to practice and make sure that we're in sync. It only takes one person being off to ruin the whole act."

The class paired up. Sasuke sighed and realized what this meant; he would have to work with Ino.

Ino was the best female dancer in the room. Since Sasuke was the best male, naturally they were paired together. It also meant they were in constant competition. Sasuke made his way to the back corner of the room where Ino was standing. Her pale blue eyes were filled with distaste as Sasuke approached her.

"I bet you liked showing off in front of everyone, didn't you?"

"Not really. If you want to show off though, you should try harder during practice," Sasuke said, his voice composed. He didn't let Ino's comments get to him. They were from a place of jealousy. Knowing she was secretly envious of him made it pretty easy to brush them off.

"Okay now guys, I want you sitting on the floor kneeling. Girls, you stay behind them. We'll start the number from that position," Mr.Hatake said from the front of the room.

Sasuke dropped to the ground, tucking his legs underneath him. Ino stood off to the side where he couldn't see her. He didn't like being vulnerable on the floor. She could do whatever she wanted to him and he wouldn't know because he was facing the front of the room. The music started up, violins playing softly.

Sasuke couldn't see what she was doing, but he knew this part of the routine. She was likely moving in a delicate manner and sticking her leg out behind her as she danced in a straight line. Sasuke rolled his head and stood up. Now came the tricky part; actually making contact with Ino.

Dancing with Ino was like interacting with a snake. It was incredibly dangerous and even if the creature was tamed, there was always a chance it could whirl it's head around and snap it's jaw at you. He had to have faith she wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize both of them during their dance together.

Sasuke lifted Ino up. He swayed her side to side as she kicked her leg out to the blaring of a trumpet. He maneuvered her so she was across his back, where she kicked her leg out once more. He heard her scoff as he placed her against his back. She climbed off and they stood next to each other.

"Surprised you can lift me," Ino said, bending her knees and bouncing up and down.

Sasuke did the same move and walked forward, spinning around to face her. "I train at the gym. Of course I can lift you."

"Really? You should train more. Your arms are still twigs." Ino poked at his pale forearm as Sasuke wrapped his arm around her waist. "Ugh do you have to touch me? Can't we do this part without that?"

"It's in the choreography. Trust me, I don't want to touch you anymore than you want to touch me." Sasuke spun Ino and pulled her back to him. "If you don't like, you should talk to Mr.Hatake about it."

"You're his favorite. I wonder why that is," Ino said as Sasuke dipped her. He was tempted to let go and drop her, but reminded himself that's what she wanted.

"I'm not sure. Why don't you ask him?" Sasuke twirled and extended his arms towards Ino. She did the same twirl and pointed her arms.

"I think I already know my answer." On her face rested a devious smirk. "And I think my answer lies in what goes on in your private lessons with him."

Sasuke was so jarred by the implication he almost forget to plié. His sexuality was speculated on a lot and he was used to that, but it was a whole other thing to imply that he was sleeping with his dance instructor.

"No. I'm not doing anything with Mr.Hatake, if that's what you're suggesting. He gives me extra practice."

Ino did a small leap. "Oh, that's what we're calling it now?" She landed on feet and snorted. "That's an interesting way to put it."

Sasuke inhaled deeply and put his annoyance into hitting his marks even better. He did a sauté and hit the ground so firmly that the soles of his feet ached. He knelt on the ground and hoisted Ino into the air.

The music stopped abruptly. Mr.Hatake's voice replaced the chorus of instruments.

"I think that's good for now. We'll take a lunch break and start up again in 30 minutes." Mr.Hatake clapped once and walked out of the room.

Sasuke put Ino down and stood up. She sneered and stormed off to her pack of friends. He swore he heard her mutter something under her breath, but couldn't tell what it was.

Nevertheless, Sasuke was glad to be free of Ino for some time. 30 minutes wasn't that long, but it was enough time for him to let his annoyance fade and get back to being focused. His serious and intense demeanor was what led him to being so successful at ballet in the first place. When he was in a performance, he pushed everything out of his mind and let himself be truly in the moment. His movements spoke for him.

"Hey Sasuke," Sasuke was packing up his duffel bag when he heard someone address him. He looked up. It was Hinata Hyuga. 

"I was wondering if you'd like to come to lunch with us," She said softly, playing with her her dark hair that hung down like a curtain.

"No," Sasuke responded, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "I already have something to eat."

Hinata's cheeks flamed up and her mouth parted. "O-Oh, I'm sorry. I was just-"

Sasuke didn't bother listening. Hinata's embarrassed rambling was taking away from a much needed break. He walked away and out of the studio, leaving Hinata wide-eyed and confused.

******

"Fifteen minutes until show time," Mr.Hatake said as all of the dancers crowded backstage. Sasuke was touching up his makeup, sitting in a felt chair in front of a long horizontal mirror. Since their show took place during Ancient Egypt, he had to wear eyeliner around his eyes and the usual concealer. The stage lights were very unforgiving. They showed off all the imperfections of one's body and face. Makeup was a blessing. Sasuke hoped the eyeliner would be so heavy and dark that it would take away from the bags under his eyes.

As Sasuke was applying the last coat of eyeliner, Mr.Hatake came up from behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey superstar, how are you feeling?"

Mr.Hatake had various nicknames for Sasuke, one of them being superstar. They were pretty close for being teacher and student and Sasuke figured that was what spurred the rumors some of the more gossipy dancers spread.

"Good. I think it will go well if everyone remembers to put their all into it."

"Mr.Hatake nodded. "Let's hope. Good job this morning. That was very impressive, especially being put on the spot like that. If you keep that up, you'll get a lead in the next show for sure."

Mr.Hatake's praise made a sense of pride swell up inside of Sasuke. He was so strict that any praise from him made Sasuke feel good about himself and his abilities.

"Thank you, sir." Sasuke set the eyeliner pencil down and looked up at Mr.Hatake. "We should probably get everyone rounded up and ready to go out."

"Yeah. Good luck out there," Mr.Hatake said, briskly walking away.

Sasuke stood up from the chair and made his way to where he was supposed to be standing. He came on from the left side of the stage. Though his number wasn't for a bit, it didn't hurt to be prepared. The main dancers who played Aida and Radames, the two leads, were milling around. Sasuke scorned them silently. He found it annoying that though he was just in the ensemble, he took his part more seriously than the people with main roles.

From behind the curtain, Sasuke heard the buzz from the audience. Everyone seemed excited. The voices fell silent as the curtain began to lift.

"Places!" Mr.Hatake hissed, leading a straggling dancer to where they were supposed to be. "Remember, this is our debut performance. We want the audience to come back for our other showings." He ducked at the last second, the curtain almost exposing him to the crowd. Sasuke watched as 'Radames' walked out on stage.

This was the one part of ballet and performing that Sasuke didn't like; the waiting. So far, he hadn't had any major leads so he was condemned to waiting around backstage until it was finally his time to shine.

 _I'll get the lead one day, mark my words,_ Sasuke vowed as he peeked around the curtain. Radames and Aida were holding hands and doing a very romantic duet together. Sasuke sighed and tried to pass the time.

Finally, he got his cue to go on stage. He walked on with all of the other ensemble members and got into place. Everyone else was much more on par than this morning, not missing nearly as many steps. But Sasuke tried not to focus on that. He buried the rumors, Ino, and his frustration within himself and became Egyptian #28. Though it wasn't a big part by any means, Sasuke would try his damnedest to do his best. He would do so good that even though he had a minuscule moment, he was all the audience could talk about.

His number went exactly as he planned. He made sure his turns were full, his jumps were high, and his movements were restrained yet whimsical. By the time he got off stage, he was lightheaded. He took a sip of water from his water bottle. The other ensemble members chilled on couches and in chairs while the performance went on. The next time they all went on was for the bows at the end of the show. Sasuke didn't feel like waiting around just to make a ten second appearance. He slipped on his jacket and headed outside. He didn't need the applause of the crowd to validate him; he knew he did a good job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic is going to have POV switch's between Naruto and Sasuke. I usually don't do fics like that, but they individually have so much going on that it wouldn't be doing this story justice if it was entirely Naruto's or Sasuke's POV. I will try to make it be a back and forth thing (so Naruto then Sasuke then Naruto then Sasuke etc) but sometimes it may be two in a row because it suits the story better. So if one time I don't follow the back and forth thing, it isn't a mistake. Also I'm obviously not a ballet expert. While I am doing a lot of research for this fic, keep in mind it is not going to be 100% accurate and there will be mistakes. Hope you liked hearing from Sasuke. Thank you for all the positive comments on chapter 1!


	3. Deep Dive

Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto learned that the dark-haired dancer he was so intrigued by was _the_ Sasuke Uchiha who's name was being thrown around by various people last night at the theater. Now that he had seen a performance from him, he understood why. Sasuke was breathtaking to watch perform. He was only on stage for a number of minutes, and yet his scene was the only one Naruto remembered with clarity.

He spent his day that was supposed to be for relaxing and recovering from being 'sick' researching Sasuke and seeing what more he could find out about him online. He had a name, but he wanted to know more.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much out there for Sasuke. Naruto found a couple images and one article done about him. The article was dated years back. The pictures used in the article showed a much younger Sasuke, about 15. His haircut was a bit different; longer and shaggier, and he was quite lanky. Though he was still thin to this day, he hadn't grown into the equally proportioned body Naruto saw on stage last night. Naruto thought the pictures of him were cute, in a little kid way. The one thing consistent was the unamused look on his face.

The article was a piece about dance, including an interview between a journalist named Michelle Diaz and young Sasuke. Apparently, Sasuke had a role in a teen production of The Nutcracker. Sasuke played a mouse. In one of the photos, he had drawn on whiskers in what looked like sharpie and round, gray, ears nestled in his mess of black hair. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the picture. It was impossible to take him seriously dressed as a furry rodent.

Naruto read through the article raptly.

_Theater and performing are big all around the world. Some of the most famous people in our society are actors, dancers, and entertainers in general. That stays true locally as well. In our city, there is a scene teeming with talent. We've had a fair share of well-known celebrities come from this very city, and there will be more to come. Today, I wanted to look at one specific aspect of the entertainment industry; dance._

_The age range of dancers is broad. Ages 3 to 83 find themselves in classes. While there are a number of instructors, by far the most experienced and respected is Kakashi Hatake. Hatake has been a dance teacher for most of his life. He's said in a previous interview that helping people learn to find their inner strength through dance has been his greatest reward in life. Being a dance teacher isn't the best paid job, but Hatake doesn't seem to mind. He's content with knowing that he's helping people._

_Unfortunately, Hatake was unavailable for an interview this time around. He's busy helping put together a production of The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is the story of a young girl's journey to a magical land on Christmas Eve. This specific version is being put on by one of Hatake's teen classes. Hatake has several different classes and out of all of them, he chose one to perform the renowned ballet._

_While I couldn't secure an interview with Hatake himself, I talked to several of his students that are in The Nutcracker. Clara, the little girl and the lead, is played by Ino Yamanaka. Yamanaka is 17 years old. This isn't her first lead. She's had several before this. When asked how she felt about having such a major role, she said 'it feels great. I put the work in and I'm glad it shows. It's always been my dream since I was a little girl to be able to perform in The Nutcracker'._

_Yamanaka lets me in on some of what it takes to be a dancer. She says 'lots of dedication and practice. I'm usually at the studio for 7 or 8 hours each day of the week' and adds with a laugh 'sometimes I forget to eat'._

_That isn't uncommon for dancers. They work long and hard, and sometimes to the point where their bodies can't handle it. There have been many cases where dancers forget to take care of themselves and have to go to the hospital to recover. One statistic states that 13% of dancers have either been hurt due to injuries during training or from neglect of their own health._

_One of the things so great about The Nutcracker is the amount of roles it provides. Hatake's class is quite large and ensures that everyone gets a part. One of the mice, played by Sasuke Uchiha, comments on his role. He says 'I wish I had a larger part in the ballet, but I will one day'. Uchiha has been doing ballet and dance for awhile now. He has had several minor roles over the course of his dance career. I asked him about what he hopes to accomplish as he gets older and he says 'to become the best ballet dancer ever'. Though he's young, he seems to have big aspirations. How cute!_

 _As you can see, not only adults are accomplished dancers. After watching one of the rehearsal's of Hatake's class, I can say with confidence that they are going to do great. You can tell Hatake prepares them well. Good luck to Uchiha, Yamanaka, and the rest of the cast of the Nutcracker. The first performance is on December 16th. Don't miss your chance to see it!_

Only a couple scrolls until Naruto reached the end of the article. After clicking off the site, he looked at the few photos of Sasuke that were out there. Beyond the pictures of young Sasuke, there were a couple that were more recent. There was a small photo shoot done in a dance studio. Sasuke was wearing a baby blue leotard and nude ballet slippers. He was posed in a couple distinct ways. Each photo was vastly different.

In the first photo, Sasuke was posed against a barre. His hands clutched the barre and he looked into a mirror. The quality of the camera was so good, Naruto could see the intense look in Sasuke's eyes as he stared at his reflection. The lighting in the studio was gentle, making the sharp lines of Sasuke's features look almost soft.

The barre was gone in the second photo. Sasuke faced the camera head on. His body curved to the left. One arm was bent over the top of his head while the other hung down at his side. One leg was lifted and crossed the other on the ground. The foot on the floor was pointed. The curve of the ballet slipper was nearly as severe as the look on Sasuke's face. Naruto wasn't sure how he was standing and not toppled over. The leotard clung to his body like a second skin. Naruto's eyes wandered to his thighs. Despite his body being skinny, his thighs were well-defined and had muscle to them.

He snapped himself out of it before he started to drool on the screen. The third photo was of Sasuke in the air. His arms were stretched out like wings and his legs were spread wide. He looked as weightless as he did when he was in motion. Naruto was about to go to the next picture when his phone's text tone went off.

(1:27 PM): _I'm coming over to check on you. You never texted me last night and I'm worried._

Naruto facepalmed. He meant to text Sakura, but had totally forgotten after seeing the show. Feeling like an idiot, he left his laptop on the kitchen counter and ran to his room.

_Sakura lives pretty close so I only have a few minutes before she shows up, Naruto thought, throwing himself onto bed. He wrapped himself up in blankets and put on his best sick face which was just him attempting to look miserable. As he adjusted the pillow behind his head, he heard the front door unlock._

"Naruto?" Sakura called out, her voice distant.

Naruto loudly coughed. "In here." 

The sound of Sakura's light footsteps became louder. She opened the door and walked over to where Naruto pathetically laid himself out. She pressed her hand to his forehead.

"You don't feel that warm."

"I took some medicine that calmed my fever down. Would you mind getting me some water? My throat is so dry."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Just because you're sick, that doesn't mean your helpless."

"Is that a yes?" Naruto said, grinning.

"Unbelievable." Sakura scolded. She walked out of the room and to the kitchen. A couple of seconds of silence passed before she called out again.

"Hey Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

She stepped back in the room with a glass of water. "Who's that guy on your laptop?"

At first, Naruto didn't know what she was talking about. Well, that was until he remembered that the Sasuke photo shoot was the last thing he looked at and he didn't remember ever closing out of it.

Naruto's mind was racing as he struggled to come up with a solution. There really was no easy answer for why a guy in a skin-tight leotard was on his screen.

"Dunno. Think it was a pop up ad for a site I was on and I clicked it by accident." He knew Sakura was too smart to fall for the ruse, but he was at a loss. He didn't want to explain the real reason he was borderline investigating a male ballet dancer.

Sakura gave him a look of disbelief. "A pop up? Really?"

"Yeah." Naruto stuck by the lame excuse. "Those pop up ads are crazy."

"Naruto, it was a whole website of photographs. Obviously it wasn't a pop up ad."

"Was it? I didn't notice." Naruto could feel his cheeks heating up. He turned his head away and into the blankets. "I'm so sick I must be accidentally clicking on stuff."

Sakura sat down at the end of the bed. "Yeah? Is that how sickness works?" She deadpanned. "I've never been so sick I just went to random sites and looked at people that were my type."

Naruto felt like he really had a fever now with how warm his entire face was. Curse Sakura for knowing his type was black-haired, intense, and stoic guys. Having a best friend had its faults. Trying to get away with lying was near impossible.

"Tell me about the movie night. How was Karate Kid?" 

"You can't change the subject," Sakura protested. "I want to know who that guy is."

"Forget about it. Tell me what I missed." Naruto stubbornly said. Once he started being stubborn, it was seldom likely to change.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but shut it promptly after. "Well, Lee did a commentary for us the whole movie and made sure we knew all the names of the specific fighting moves. He-"

Naruto caught up on movie night while being grateful he didn't get questioned further. He feared next time he wouldn't be so lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative name for this chapter: Naruto gets lowkey turned on while looking at pictures of Sasuke, and Sakura thinks Naruto is an idiot for trying to even attempt to pass that lie off as the truth. I was actually laughing out loud writing that exchange between them haha


	4. No Pain, No Gain

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Sasuke blinked open his eyes, the obnoxious alarm ruining his peaceful state of mind. He finally managed to fall asleep after tossing and turning for an hour and already he was awake. His phone indicated he got four hours of sleep, but it felt more like four minutes. As badly as he wanted to throw the sheet back over his head and slip back into unconsciousness, that wasn't possible. Rehearsal started bright and early at 7:00 am and not a minute later. Despite Mr.Hatake being late half the time, he insisted his dancers be there and ready to go as soon as the clock struck 7.

Today, Sasuke had a solo practice with Mr.Hatake. He enjoyed those more than the big group practices. Partly because Sasuke didn't like large gatherings of people in general, and also because Ino wasn't there making faces at him behind his back that he often caught in the mirror. It was much easier to focus when him and Mr.Hatake were the only ones in the room.

Sasuke shoved the sheets to the end of the bed and hauled himself upright. Before heading to shower, he warmed up his body with his morning routine of stretches. He started with his arms and shoulders.

His morning stretch routine varied in length. It depended on how he felt waking up. If his body was exceptionally sore, he would only stretch for a minute or so. If it felt perfectly normal, like today, it would last for about five minutes.

Stretching also helped him to be less groggy. It took a lot less time to wake up when you got all the creaks of your joints out prematurely before getting to class. Sasuke slid down into a split on the hardwood floor of his bedroom. His thighs burned, but he pushed passed it. The burning ceased as he settled into the split.

He concluded the set with an arabesque, his right leg sticking out and running parallel to his right arm. His left arm was pointing straight out in front of him. He came back into a standing position with both arms and legs to his body.

The shower loosened his muscles even further. Steam from the scalding water encircled him in a hazy cloud. He closed his eyes as the droplets traveled all over his body. If he had it his way, he would stay in the shower for forty minutes. If only.

He dried off with a towel. His pale skin was pink from the heat of the shower. He only had this much color tinge his skin when he was showering or blushing. The first happened a lot. The second, not so much. Sasuke couldn't even recall the last time he heard something that made his cheeks color with a red flush. 

With the towel slung around his waist, he went back to his room. He changed into his tight black tank top and matching black tights. The fabric clung to his body in a way that wasn't uncomfortable. It made movement as easy as if he was wearing nothing at all.

Sasuke stuffed his duffel bag full of necessities like his water bottle, ballet slippers, and towel. He was about to leave as his stomach made an awful sound. With a sigh, he set the bag down and headed to the kitchen.

He made a couple of pieces of lightly buttered toast. It would suffice. He didn't need anything extravagant; just enough to keep his stomach quiet. Washing down the toast with orange juice, Sasuke placed the now empty plate and cup in the sink. Dirty dishes were a later problem. He had more important matters to attend to, like getting to the studio on time.

One missed light and he would've been looking at being scolded by Mr.Hatake. He walked in the studio at 6:59, a single minute remaining. He breathed a sigh of relief and set his bag down along the wall. Mr.Hatake wasn't there yet and he the only one present within the pale dance studio walls. It seemed much larger when he was by himself.

Sasuke took off his sneakers and changed into his ballet slippers. He set his jacket on top of the slumped duffel bag and got right into doing warm ups.

He held onto the bar while bending down, facing the mirror. The mirror helped him make sure he was bending down far enough. At the edge of the mirror, Sasuke saw someone slip into the room.

"Already warming up even though I'm not here? Good." Mr.Hatake said, standing behind Sasuke as he watched him warm up. "You're very disciplined."

"I learned from the best."

That earned a small chuckle from Mr.Hatake. "I suppose you did. I'll let you finish warming up by yourself and then we'll start."

Sasuke ran through a couple more exercises under the watchful eye of Mr.Hatake. Though he was reading one of his strange books, Sasuke knew he was splitting his attention between the book and his warm up routine. He was very good at multitasking.

"What are we going to be working on today?" Sasuke asked, turning around after 10 minutes.

Mr.Hatake set his book down. "Well, you don't need much help on the current choreography for our show. We've had a couple shows now and each time you've done well." He paused to let the praise sink in. "So I think we'll work on preparing you for auditions."

"Auditions? For what?"

"Only a couple more performances of Aida and we move onto our next show." Not even done with one and already there was talk of what was next. The dance scene was not one that knew patience. They were constantly moving from one thing to the next with little room for gaps in between. If Sasuke wasn't so used to it, he would've been overwhelmed.

"What's our next show?" He said, unable to hide the eagerness creeping into his voice. "Valley of Shadows? House of Birds? Cantique?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal that right now. That would give you an unfair advantage. I can't give specifics, but I can make sure you're ready for when auditions happen."

"Not even one little hint?" Sasuke coaxed. Mr.Hatake shook his head firmly.

"No, not even one." He rose from the cross-legged position he was in and walked over to Sasuke. "We'll make sure your basic skills are refined and work on your weaknesses."

"I don't have weaknesses." Sasuke shot back a bit hostilely.

"Yes you do. Everyone has weaknesses in their craft. You're not perfect. For example, during your single leg relevé, you didn't go all the way to the floor," Mr.Hatake pointed out. "And-"

"Alright, alright I get it." Sasuke cut him off before he could go on. "We can work on whatever you think will make me the most prepared for auditions."

Mr. Hatake smiled triumphantly. "That's what I like to hear. Go get a drink of water before we begin. I don't want you passing out in the middle of an attitude."

******

"Your leg should be back more. Lift it higher."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He and Mr.Hatake had been practicing for a couple hours, evident by the sweat stains on Sasuke's tank top. Despite the strain in his leg, he forced it to extend higher into the air. Mr.Hatake nodded.

"Better. Sissonne."

Sasuke brought his leg back down. He let it rest for a brief second before jumping, his legs opening and coming back together as he landed. He did a couple of those, perfecting his jumps a little each time he went back up into the air.

"Emboité."

Sasuke's supporting leg was en pointe. He brought his other leg up so his toes were pointed at his knee. His arms were extended outwards.

"Your foot should be slightly up more." Mr.Hatake moved Sasuke's foot so it rested above his knee. "Hold that position. Keep yourself steady so you don't shake."

Sasuke inhaled deep through his nose and closed his eyes. The tremble of his arms subsided as he centered himself. He opened his eyes, looking straight ahead into the mirror. Mr.Hatake was behind him, silently evaluating his form.

"That's enough for now. You can take a break."

Sasuke slowly came out of the pose and back to a normal upright position. The soreness was starting to kick in, and he was thankful for the chance to rest. He walked away from the mirrored wall and sat down next to his bag.

"How are you feeling?" Mr.Hatake said, going over to where Sasuke was. "You look tired."

"No, I'm fine." Sasuke took a well needed gulp from his water bottle. "I could go again right now if you asked me to."

"Alright. Get up and do ten fouettes for me then." 

"I would, but I haven't finished drinking this water yet, sorry." Sasuke sipped the water. He got out his towel from the bag and wiped his forehead. "Otherwise I definitely would."

"I'm sure that's the reason." Mr.Hatake leaned against the wall near Sasuke. "You don't want to overwork yourself. If you do, you'll be out of commission. Don't push it. It's important to take breaks."

"I know," Sasuke said. While he was aware that was true, he didn't take that advice often. He had overworked himself on more than one occasion. Even with Mr.Hatake's constant reminders, he still wasn't very good at stopping when he should've. How else would he become one of the best ballet dancers? Certainly not by limiting himself. No, he had to work as hard as possible; even if it was at the expense of his health.

"If I didn't tell you to take breaks during our sessions, I don't think you ever would."

"You're probably right. Breaks mean less time for dancing." Sasuke flexed his foot that was cramping up. "I want to make the most of my time in the studio."

"Did you eat something this morning?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Dad._ " The second the name left his mouth, he froze. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just joking aro-"

"Sasuke," Mr.Hatake said. "It's fine."

From a young age, Mr.Hatake had been Sasuke's role model and parental figure. Though Sasuke didn't like to admit it, he was the closest thing to a parent he had. The name had slipped out on accident on account of Mr.Hatake acting like a worried father. A rush of embarrassment flooded through him. He could practically feel the awkwardness spreading throughout the air.

"Two minutes and we'll get back to work." Mr.Hatake walked back towards the mirror, not acknowledging what Sasuke said any further. "And don't forget to fix your tank top strap. It's falling down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whewie this chapter was a pain to write. I'm happy with the end result, but getting it all down was a struggle. I really like writing about the relationship between Kakashi and Sasuke honestly I could do a whole fic on just them and their antics


	5. Front Row

After he had seen five performances, Naruto had the story of Aida pretty much memorized. He knew exactly when certain moments were going to happen. For instance, he knew that Aida convinces Radames to flee with her to the desert in Act 3. He knew that Act 4 Scene 1 was where Radames' fate is sealed. But most importantly of all, he knew when Sasuke made his entrance.

Naruto's heart would beat faster in anticipation as it grew closer to Sasuke's time to come out on the stage. He fidgeted in his seat, interlocking his fingers together or tapping the ground with his shoe, hoping no one around was paying attention to his antics. The second Sasuke graced the stage with his presence, Naruto smiled and stared dreamily. No matter how many times Naruto had seen the scene, it always yielded the same reaction. 

By the sixth performance, Naruto was emboldened to get a better seat. For the prior five shows, he was dead in the back of the theater. Under normal circumstances, that would've been fine. In fact it would've been preferred in case someone saw him. However, now that Sasuke was involved, he wasn't content with that. He wanted to be near the stage, even at the cost of potentially being spotted.

$173, $195, $214. Naruto was quickly learning that the cost of seeing Sasuke up close wasn't cheap. He spent a lot of money on tickets already. This surely wouldn't help the spending issue. Naruto's cursor hovered over the purchase button, the blue tempting him.

 _No, I can't get these. I should settle for my usual seating_ , Naruto thought, going to click off the site. At the last second, he moved the cursor back and impulsively clicked the button.

_Congratulations! Your purchase for [1] ticket of Aida was successful. An email will be sent with your virtual ticket that can be printed out._

Naruto groaned, leaning back in his chair. There was nothing he could do about it now. The ticket had been purchased and the money was being taken from his bank account as he wondered if that was the smartest decision.

The venue was packed. It was one of the last shows and it seemed like everyone who hadn't already seen the performance was scrambling for a chance to. Naruto tried his best to watch where he walking, but ended up running into a few people. His apologies didn't erase the scowls from the faces of those he accidentally hit.

"Ooh a seat upgrade? You're really going all out this time." The man by the front door said as Naruto handed over his ticket. He squinted, holding it up in the air. "Unless I'm reading it wrong."

"Uh nope. You're reading it right" Naruto said with an embarrassed laugh. "I got good seats for this show."

"Wanted a better seat in case you missed something the first five times?" The man stamped the ticket and gave it back. 

Naruto took it and shoved it into his pocket. "You could say that." It sounded a lot less weird than _'I got this seat so I could watch a guy perform even though he doesn't know who I am'_.

"Well, I hope they're worth the price. Enjoy the show."

Naruto pushed passed the heavy doors and into the building. As he walked down the aisle to his seat, he felt more and more vulnerable the farther he strayed. He wasn't used to being this close to where he could see the details of the the surface of the stage. His steps quickened as he found his seat.

His row was only partially filled in. Most of it was still empty. A woman with an ostentatious black hat with feathers sticking off the brim glanced in his direction from a couple seats down. Everything about her screamed rich; her hat, her hair styled so not a single strand was out of place, her fitted black dress, and a set of pearls that dangled right above the neckline.

"I think you're in the wrong seat, dear."

"Nope."

"I think so." She persisted. The woman next to her stifled a chuckle.

Naruto fished his ticket back out. "You can check if you want."

She scoffed, standing up. Her heels clacked along the floor as she made her way over to Naruto. The feathers in her hat bounced with each movement. Naruto held the ticket out. She snagged it, almost giving Naruto a paper cut with the force she pulled it with. Her eyes scanned over the ticket. Naruto watched smugly as she read and re-read, finding no other seat number except for the one he was currently in.

"Here." She shoved the ticket at Naruto and stormed off back to her seat, furiously whispering to her friend.

Naruto tucked the ticket away. He had no idea what her problem with him was, but for whatever reason, she was fully convinced he didn't belong in the front row. He looked down at his outfit. Sure it wasn't the fanciest thing, but it wasn't like he showed up in a sweatshirt and baggy sweatpants.

 _Maybe sitting here was a mistake_ , Naruto thought to himself. He came to watch ballet to enjoy what he liked without being criticized. If he wasn't being judged by his friends, he was being judged by some pretentious rich lady. Unbelievable.

Naruto considered getting up and leaving the theater, but the lights began to dim. It was too late now; if he chose to rise from his seat and exit, it would bring too much attention to himself. He was in it for the long haul. He put the rude woman out of his mind and turned his focus on the stage.

Sasuke's scene was about halfway through the show. Naruto watched all the moments before his with bated breath. The closer it was, the more excited he felt himself becoming. Finally, it was time.

His bright blue eyes locked onto Sasuke the second he stepped out onto the stage. He could see Sasuke's features much more clearly than he had in all the past performances combined. Suddenly he didn't regret his decision to get better tickets any longer.

The fluorescent stage lights that worked to illuminate the stage had the same effect on Sasuke, bringing attention to the striking paleness of his skin. Naruto wasn't sure where to look first. He wanted to study every part of Sasuke, not leave his gaze to rest only on one part of him. Instead of picking just one place to focus on, his eyes bounced around from his sharp jawline to his long legs to the short robe hanging off his body, thighs peeking out from underneath the white chiffon. Everything he noticed prior was magnified.

He was a visual paradox, appearing both hard and soft at the same time. Some of his movements flowed into each other. His body arched, stretched, and bended in a delicate manner; like if Naruto laid a finger on him, he would disintegrate.

Other times, his movements were short and finite. He struck the ground with such intent that Naruto would be shocked if his feet didn't ache by the end of his dance. His limbs jabbed and struck rather than floated.

Naruto was beginning to realize what captivated him so much about Sasuke; the range. How he could go from one end of the spectrum to the other in seconds, all while keeping his composure and not stopping for a breath or pause. He moved from one pose to another seamlessly. It took all of the effort within Naruto to keep his mouth from falling into a wide 'o'.

At one point, Sasuke stood on one leg while the other was raised. He extended his arms out. As he did so, his head turned towards the audience. His gaze passed over where Naruto was sitting. A jolt of shock hit him as he met Sasuke's dark eyes. Logically, Naruto knew Sasuke couldn't see anyone's face in front of him; the stage lights were so blindingly bright that they made everything a blurred mess, but that didn't stop Naruto from feeling like they were making eye contact and it was dizzying.

To have Sasuke's calculating eyes concentrated on him would be nothing short of a dream come true. He wondered what it felt like; to have that focus he put into his dancing fall onto him. His heart skipped a beat just considering the idea. He wasn't sure if Sasuke was in a relationship or not, but if he was, the other party was extremely lucky.

As quickly as Sasuke's gaze was on Naruto, it was gone just as fast. He was already back to looking towards his dance partner, the girl with thick blonde hair.

 _They might be a couple_ , Naruto thought as he watched them move flawlessly together. Sasuke held her up in the air as she kicked her leg out. He set her down gently on the stage and the pair danced around each other. The longer they went on, the more Naruto started to become a bit jealous. He didn't like that the girl's hands were on Sasuke. He watched the rest of the partner part of the dance with narrowed eyes, glad when it was over and the rest of the scene went on.

Sasuke's number wrapped up soon and Naruto sadly watched his form recede as he headed off the stage. The rest of the show was uneventful now that he had nothing to look forward to. While it was still good, he found himself wishing Sasuke would come back for an additional dance.

When the show finished, the theater erupted in applause. Naruto stood, clapping for all the performers who bowed. He searched for Sasuke, but he wasn't up front. Over the heads of some of the shorter dancers, he could've sworn he saw a flash of black hair.

The clapping died down and the crowd started filing out of the rows. Naruto had to wait longer than usual; one of the cons of sitting so close. When he was in the back, it only took a minute to leave. Now, he had to wait for everyone else to get out first. No one was in a big rush, so the pace of the attendees was quite slow. Naruto tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.

When he finally got out into the main area, he was bombarded with the amount of people surrounding him. Any movement was hard. Everyone was cramped together. Naruto pushed passed a couple holding hands and started walking towards the large doors. As he did so, a voice called out to him.

"Naruto? Is that you?"

Naruto froze, scared to turn around. The voice was familiar, though he couldn't place where it was from. He hesitantly turned, relaxing as he saw who it was.

"Oh, hi Tenten."

She waved and came closer. "Here again? Was your first show that good?"

"Yeah. I've actually seen it more than twice now." He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. "Sorry, that sounds weird. I just think the show is really well done."

Tenten smiled and nodded. "Oh for sure! Are you a big ballet and dance fan?"

"Yeah, just a little." Naruto said, moving his hands far apart so there was a large gap in between them. "Only this much."

"Well, then I have a treat for you. Since you seem to be such a big fan of the production, how about you come backstage with me?"

Naruto thought he was hearing her incorrectly. "Backstage?"

"Yeah! Remember, my friend is in the show?" She asked with a giggle. "It's okay if you don't remember. We only talked one more time before this."

"It seems vaguely familiar, but I didn't remember," Naruto admitted. "You don't have to do that, it's okay."

Tenten dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "It's no problem! C'mon, let's go." She tugged on Naruto's hand, leaving him no choice but to follow her through the busy mass of people.

******

Backstage was more hectic than Naruto had pictured it would be. Dancers were all over, running back and forth and talking in raised voices. Some of them sat in front of a mirror and took off their makeup. Naturally, Naruto was curious to find where Sasuke was. There were so many people, he couldn't tell one from another. He saw the two leads and a ton of background dancers, but the mysterious black-haired man was nowhere to be seen.

"Who's your friend?" Naruto said as he and Tenten stood close together. There wasn't much free space, so the two of them had to share the little room they had. Tenten wasn't looking at Naruto. Instead, she was peering through the horde of dancers.

"Her name's Hinata. She's so sweet. I don't know how she manages to be in this harsh industry." She squinted. "I think I see her!" Tenten waved her arms high up in the air. "Hinata! Over here Hinata!"

A girl with long, dark, hair came over to where the two of them were standing. Her pale purple eyes looked from Tenten to Naruto.

"H-Hi..." She spoke so softly it was hard for Naruto to make out what she said.

"How did the show go?" Tenten asked.

"It went g-good..." Her scared eyes stayed on Naruto. She played with her hair, twirling it around her finger.

"Sorry! I forgot to introduce you guys. Hinata, this is Naruto. Naruto, Hinata."

Naruto shook the girl's hand. She smiled shyly, her handshake grip light and weak.

"Hi, Naruto. It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw what he was hoping to see; a pale figure. He forced himself to look back at Hinata, not wanting to seem rude.

"You did very well in the show tonight."

"Naruto is a big fan." Tenten explained, patting him on the back. "He's seen the show a lot of times now."

Hinata's ghostly white complexion became riddled with a cherry blush. "O-Oh... That's nice. Thank you for supporting the show..." All of her sentences trailed off, as if she had more to say.

"No problem."

"So Hinata, I was thinking-"

Tenten and Hinata began conversing with each other. Naruto used this opportunity to look back to where his eye wandered before.

Over by a table, the pale guy had a duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. While most of the other dancers were in lively conversations with each other, he was alone. It only took Naruto a moment of staring to realize that it was Sasuke and not some other raven-haired dancer. A fluttering sensation blossomed in his chest as he watched from a distance. Sasuke walked over to the long table in front of the mirror. He set the bag down and shoved things into it haphazardly, his straight hair falling in his face.

Naruto couldn't tell what the items were for certain, but it looked like small tubes of makeup. He didn't use makeup so he didn't know the specifics. Sasuke zipped up the bag and put on a denim jacket. He was still in the dance costume, his bare legs sticking out from underneath the low cut of the tunic. Instead of the pale ballet slippers he wore during the performance, he had on a pair of beat up sneakers.

The fluttering only worsened as he observed Sasuke from afar. It spread from solely being contained to his chest all the way down to the pit of his stomach. He looked away for a second, trying to collect himself.

 _He's just a normal guy, I shouldn't be so nervous_ , Naruto thought. Even as the thought formed in his mind, he knew that wasn't true. Sasuke wasn't average. He was extremely talented and handsome, not to mention Naruto's exact type (as he had realized after Sakura pointed it out).

Naruto went to look back, but Sasuke was gone. The only thing remaining was a pair of ballet slippers on the table where Sasuke was just a couple seconds prior.

He made the connection right away; they must've been Sasuke's.

Without thinking about it that much, Naruto ran over and grabbed the slippers. He bolted out of the backstage area in hopes that he wasn't too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sacrificed watching a livestream I really wanted to see to finish this. That's how dedicated I am to this fic. I saw someone on Twitter make art of ballet Sasuke and I actually cried. It wasn't fanart for this fic but oh my god, seeing a drawing of ballet Sasuke has me weak. If I ever get actual fanart for this story I might die ahaha, though I doubt anyone would want to make art for this. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! I ended it at a little cliffhanger lowkey oopssss ;)


	6. Forgotten Slipper

Sasuke was glad to be going home. He was tired after a long day of practice and the performance. All he wanted was to curl up under the covers of his bed and let his body rest. God knows it needed it. The show had gone well. He didn't mess up on any of the choreography and made sure he was trying his hardest to hit every beat with precision. By the time he walked off the stage, he was drained. He didn't like acknowledging that fact, but it was unavoidable. Every part of him ached.

After taking his bow on the stage, he went to grab his duffel bag. It was zipped up as he had left it. He winced as he let the strap rest on his shoulder. It was too heavy and he had no other way to carry it. He would have to endure the discomfort until he got back to his car.

Sasuke walked over to where all his makeup was laying in a messy pile and tossed it into his bag. He didn't bother sorting through it. He just wanted to get it packed up so he could go. He set the strap back on his shoulder and walked out of the backstage area.

Since Sasuke was leaving earlier than usual, he was stuck in the massive crowd of theater attendees. He made attempts to try and move around a woman in a black dress, but he couldn't see over her large hat. He resigned to standing still as he got jostled around by the people around him. The pain in his shoulder worsened the longer he stood there.

Finally, he made it outside. The cool air nipped at his legs and he cursed the stupid costume he was wearing. It may have been Egypt in the show, but it certainly wasn't right now. He grumbled the entire way over to his car. It was parked in the very back of the lot so he had a long ways to go. With ten feet remaining, a single voice pierced the silence.

"I think you forgot something."

Sasuke turned around. A guy with spiky blonde hair that stood up so straight it seemingly defied gravity was staring back at him. He looked away as Sasuke tried to meet his gaze, like he was intimidated.

"Mhm what?" Sasuke had no idea what he was talking about. He had never seen this guy before in his life, and here he was telling him that he forget something? His already muddled brain only became more confused. He didn't think he had forgotten anything.

"Your, uh, shoes." The blonde held up a pair of pink ballet slippers that were oddly similar to his own.

"Those aren't mine, I have mine." Sasuke set his bag on the ground and rummaged through. He saw his makeup, his water bottle, his spare clothes, but no ballet slippers. As he thought about it, he didn't recall packing them up.

"I guess I'm mistaken." When he glanced up from the bag, he saw the blonde staring at him again. His bright blue eyes were watching him intently. Even in the darkness of the night, he could see that his cheeks were a light pink. Though, Sasuke supposed it could be from the cold.

"I'll take them now."

"What?" It was the blonde's turn to be confused. He tilted his head, some of the spikes of his hair flopping over.

"My slippers." Sasuke motioned to his hands.

"Oh, right." He handed them over, his hands brushing against Sasuke's.

Sasuke flinched as he took his slippers back. His touch was warm and it caught Sasuke off guard. He shoved his shoes into his bag and put the bag back on his shoulder.

"Well, thanks." 

"You're welcome."

Sasuke took one last look at the blonde. The majority of people that came to ballet shows were older, wealthier, individuals. This guy was youthful and a bit strange, with vibrant hair and whisker-like markings on his face.

 _I'm sure he was dragged along by someone_ , Sasuke thought, looking him up and down. He started walking towards his car. He peered over his shoulder, seeing if the guy was still standing there.

Sure enough, he was. His eyes were wide with fascination, a small smile on the corner of his lips. Sasuke met his eyes from across the parking lot.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?" It came out in an annoyed tone, as if the stranger was pest that Sasuke was trying to rid himself of. As a result, the blonde dropped his gaze to the ground.

"...Yeah, I should be.... I just..."

"You just what? I would like to be getting home too." Sasuke said, a snarky edge to his voice. He was so close to going home and this guy was prohibiting him from doing such. There was a long pause before the blonde spoke.

"You did really well tonight. In the show, I mean." He said, clearly flustered. The stranger rubbed his neck, elbow sticking up into the air.

"Thanks." So he had paid enough attention to the show to notice him specifically. Unless he just meant in a general sense of everyone doing a good job. That was very possible. Sasuke didn't have a large role in the show, so he was doubtful that someone picked him out from the rest of the ensemble. The few people that spoke about him were usually hardcore ballet enthusiasts, which this guy didn't look like at all.

"I was wondering, if-"

"I really should be getting home. It's been a long day." Sasuke interrupted abruptly. "Have a good night." He walked away without waiting for a response, leaving the stranger with the words caught in his throat before he could get them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is a short chapter. The length of my chapters varies a lot. Some will be thousands of words and others will be compact like this. It just depends on what is going on in the story. So Sasuke and Naruto finally met! Except, Sasuke was not the nicest. Poor Naruto:(


	7. Similarities

_Sasuke Uchiha hates me._

The day after their run in, that's all that was on Naruto's mind. No matter what he tried to do to distract himself, the thought kept resurfacing. He replayed their interaction so many times he lost count of, trying to look at it from every angle and perspective. He always ended up at the same conclusion; that surely Sasuke hated him.

They barely had exchanged twenty words, and here Naruto was analyzing them like a fool. He felt stupid, especially since he was certain that Sasuke wasn't even paying him a second thought.

 _He probably thought I was a weirdo_ , Naruto thought sadly to himself, frowning at the idea. He would've given anything for a redo. A redo where he didn't stumble over his words and insanely blush. He felt like a silly little kid with a schoolboy crush, not an adult. The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he became.

On the other hand, Naruto was proud of himself for even chasing after Sasuke at all. Being under his scrutinizing gaze was intense as he suspected it would be. He felt like Sasuke was looking right through him when he laid his eyes on him.

Seeing Sasuke from the front row was one thing, but seeing him standing only a couple feet away was a whole other experience. He found it extremely hard to formulate words and think coherently when Sasuke was standing right there with his long black bangs and his pursed lips and...

 _Damn. Even when he's standoffish, I still find him attractive. Why am I like this?_ Naruto groaned, flopping down onto the couch. He really needed to get another type other than emotionally unavailable, brooding guys.

As sunlight waned, Naruto sat on his couch and let himself be consumed with guilt over the situation. He stayed curled up on the couch until it was night time.

 _I should get up. Sitting here isn't productive_ , Naruto thought as he rose from the couch that now had an indent in the shape of his body.

He had wasted the day. He didn't want to waste the night too and agonize over hidden meanings and Sasuke's impression of him any longer. He was pretty sure that no matter how much he did, he would only spiral further. He grabbed his phone and dialed Sakura's number.

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice came in muffled. A loud pop song was playing.

"Hey. What are you up to?"

"Hanging out with Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee." A muffled laugh came from the other side of the line.

"Naruto! Hi Naruto!" Instead of Sakura, Lee spoke. In the background, Naruto heard Sakura complaining and asking for her phone back.

"Hey Lee." Naruto smiled. "What's up?"

"You should come down here with us!" Lee said.

"Well, you have to tell me where you are first."

"What? Sorry, it's hard to hear you."

"I asked where you are," Naruto repeated, speaking up.

"One second Sakura, I'm talking to Naruto," Lee whined, his voice breaking. Naruto pressed the phone closer to his ear to hear Lee. When's Lee's voice came back loudly, he nearly dropped the phone.

"We're at Club Jive. It's so fun! Sakura got me this pretty pink drink and-"

"-I'll be there."

_Click._

Naruto hung up and raced over to his bedroom. He hadn't been clubbing in awhile. The last time he went, he got stupidly drunk and ended up dancing on a table with Kiba and subsequently got kicked out. The memory was hazy. Most of what he remembered from that night was told from Sakura and Shikamaru, who watched the whole affair while shaking their heads.

He chose a green bomber jacket, a pair of skinny jeans, and a white t-shirt. To complete the look, he threw on his pair of Converse. The orange high tops were a signature of his. He wore them everywhere (except to ballets, of course) to the point there were a number of creases that lined the sides.

Naruto tucked his phone away in his pocket and grabbed the keys off the table. He locked the door behind him as he bounded over to his car.

******

Club Jive was a popular club for young adults; sandwiched in between Oliver's (an Italian restaurant), and a Lulu Evans (a clothing store). As those establishments were shutting down for the day, Club Jive was just awakening. The neon blue letters greeted Naruto as he arrived. There was a long line that curved around the building.

(9:10 PM): _I'm here. The line is so long._

Naruto sent the text to Sakura, getting to the back of the line behind a pair of brunette girls who animatedly talked to one another. He rubbed his hands together. The chilly night was not forgiving to his light jacket and exposed fingers.

The wait was roughly twenty minutes. By the time Naruto was at the front of the line, his fingers were numb as he fumbled to grab his ID.

"ID," The bouncer repeated, his burly arms crossed over his chest.

"I know, I know. I'm trying to find it." For a split second, Naruto was worried he left it at home. He _did_ rush to get here, so it was a very real possibility. He patted his pockets, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"I swear it's in here."

The bouncer glared. "Any day now."

"There we go." Naruto grinned, holding up his ID.

The bouncer took the ID, glancing it over. Naruto looked the same in the picture, except his hair was a bit shorter. The bouncer looked from the picture to Naruto back to the picture again.

"Ok. You can go in." The bouncer handed back the ID.

Naruto shoved it down into his back pocket and walked into the club. The pulsing music was loud from outside and even louder inside. In addition to that, It was dim. Naruto struggled to see a few feet in front of him. The only light came from blue and purple flashes that covered the dance floor. Naruto walked over to the bar, searching for his friends.

(9:36 PM): _I'm here_

Naruto took a seat at one of the stools along the counter. He signaled for the bartender. There was no problem with starting without his friends. Besides, they already had a head start on him for sure.

"I'd like an Old Fashioned."

"Coming right up." The bartender turned away, grabbing a glass.

Naruto let his focus shift to where the the most energy in the room was; the dance floor. He couldn't wait to go dance himself. He wasn't the best dancer, but he had fun doing it and that's all that mattered to him. It was even more fun when he and his friends all danced together. Well, mostly Lee and Kiba. Sakura and Shikamaru refrained from dancing. Sakura would dance occasionally, but only if she had alcohol in her. Shikamaru preferred hanging at the edges of the club and observing rather than participating.

"Your drink, sir."

Naruto turned back around to face the bartender. Though it was a more classic and old drink, as the name suggested, he always enjoyed the punch of the whiskey and vibrant copper color of the mixture. He took a sip. The whiskey was strong, mingled with a slight citrus. It was a straightforward cocktail that never failed to satiate Naruto's desire for alcohol.

Naruto was sitting and enjoying his drink when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"Naruto! You made it!"

"Nice to see you too, Lee." Naruto said with a laugh. "But you're suffocating me."

"Oh." Lee pulled away, frowning. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Where are Sakura, Kiba, and Shikamaru?" Only Lee's excitable self stood in front of him. There was no sign of his other friends.

"Kiba and Sakura are dancing. I think Shikamaru is lurking as usual." Lee said. "I could go bring them over, if you want."

"Yeah, that would be great... Wait." Naruto interrupted himself. "How did you get here first before Sakura? I texted her phone, not yours."

"Welllll," Lee giggled. He held up Sakura's phone, complete with it's sparkly pink case. "I never gave it back from when I stole it earlier."

Naruto shook his head. "She's gonna be pissed when she finds out." 

Lee put a finger to his lips. "That's why she won't find out. I'll sneak it back in her purse when she isn't looking. Alright, be right back!" He ran off into the crowd, bumping into a few people on the way there.

Naruto took a longer sip of his drink this time. His tolerance was pretty high, so he needed to catch up by drinking more than the others. He finished the whole drink before Lee came back with Sakura and Kiba. When he brought them over, he was on his second Old Fashioned.

"Sorry, I couldn't find them and it was so hard to move through that dance floor," Lee apologized. With one arm, he held Kiba. In the other, he held Sakura.

"Hey Naruto." Kiba gave a small wave. "Enjoying your drink there?"

To answer Kiba, Naruto raised the glass and sipped. "You should join me and get one as well."

"We've already had a lot so far so I think-" Sakura started, but was cut off by Kiba's excited yell.

"Good idea! Let's all get what Naruto's having and drink together." He sat down next to Naruto, waving wildly to the bartender. "Hey, hey I want what he's having."

"It's called an Old Fashioned," Naruto corrected.

"Yeah, what he said," Kiba clarified. Lee sat down on the other side of Naruto. Sakura stood near the trio, not taking a seat.

"I want one too!" Lee said, calling out to the bartender. "Make that two more. One for me and one for Sakura."

"Oh no, I'm fine," Sakura protested. "I had something to drink already."

"A little more won't hurt," Kiba said with a wink.

The bartender passed three more Old Fashioned's down to the group and addressed Naruto. "Would you like another?"

Naruto finished off the small remainder in the glass and nodded, pushing the empty glass forwards. "Yes." In a couple of moments, he was replenished with a full glass.

"How many is that now, Naruto?" Kiba asked. He chugged his drink.

"Three after this next one."

"Woooah slow down. I don't want you having more than me."

"Is that a challenge?"

"We can make it one." Kiba motioned for another drink. "I can out drink you any day."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No you can't, nice try."

"I think actually I can drink the most," Lee interjected, taking a small sip of his drink. He winced, his nose scrunching up.

Both Naruto and Kiba looked to each other and then shot Lee an unconvinced look.

"Yeah, as you barely finish that one," Kiba said.

Lee pouted, poking at the glass. "I liked the pretty pink drink Sakura got me better. It was much sweeter and less... icky."

"What drink was it?" Naruto glanced over at Sakura who chuckled.

"A cosmopolitan."

Naruto and Kiba broke out into a chorus of laughter.

"You would like that." Naruto wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "No wonder you don't like this drink. You need something less hardcore."

"I'll show you!" Lee lifted the glass to his lips and started to gulp. The three of them watched as Lee drank a significant amount. Lee's face contorted the whole time the alcohol went down his throat. He slammed the glass down, coughing and spluttering. "S-See!"

"You tried." Kiba clapped Lee on the back, making him cough more. "Stick to the cosmos, buddy."

"Hmph! Whatever." Lee stuck out his tongue. "Sakura, can you get me another one of the pink drinks?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'll get you another one." The bartender was at the other end of the bar. Sakura sighed and walked over.

"So Naruto, how was your day today? We wondered where you were." Kiba said, looking over at Naruto.

"I was busy. I had a ton of work to get done."

_If by work, you mean thinking all day about some guy that doesn't even know my name, then yeah. I did a ton of work, Naruto thought bitterly as he lied. He wasn't about to get into all that. That would prompt about a million questions that he didn't have the energy to answer._

Kiba nodded. "I understand. I'm glad you could find time to come out with us." He punched Naruto lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, I'm glad I could come to." Though he was still upset about Sasuke, he had to admit; it was nice to spend time with his friends. He felt much less awful than when he was stewing in self pity and regret alone.

"Look who I found." Sakura came back with a pink drink in her hand and Shikamaru beside her.

"Hey Shikamaru," Naruto, Lee, and Kiba said simultaneously. Lee snatched the pink drink from Sakura and giggled as he began drinking it. He looked much happier than when he was trying to get down the Old Fashioned.

"Naruto. I didn't think you were here," Shikamaru walked over to where Naruto was sitting.

"I decided to come last minute."

"You weren't missing much. Everyone here is so wasted they can't even remember their own names."

"Ohhh c'mon. You've been having fun," Kiba said. "We even got you to talk to someone."

"Who?" Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face. Shikamaru was infamous for his lack of feelings. He didn't pursue romantic connections so to hear he was talking to someone was a shock to him.

"It was no one. They were boring anyways," Shikamaru scoffed, crossing his arms.

"I think I saw you smile once or twice," Kiba teased. "Unless I was seeing things."

"I need more alcohol," Shikamaru said, mumbling under his breath. "Be right back." He walked away, still muttering.

"I think I see someone for you to talk to." Sakura nudged Naruto.

"Where?" He squinted at the indistinct faces of the crowd. Everyone was a colorful blur.

"There." Sakura pointed over to the corner of the room.

"I still don't see whoever you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." Sakura moved Naruto's face so it was looking in the exact direction she was motioning towards. "There."

With Sakura's assistance, he finally saw what she was talking about. In the corner of the room was a small table. At the table was a guy with dark hair who was standing alone, a single drink in front of him. Naruto shifted in his seat.

"I don't know." While he was generally outgoing, he wasn't sure if it was the best idea. The alcohol was starting to take effect, and Naruto couldn't be responsible for whatever happened while under the influence.

"He's your type for sure. I think you should give it a shot." Sakura said, remaining persistent. "You know, they say meeting people at clubs is a good way to meet people."

"Who's they?"

"You know... they. Dating experts, I don't know. Point is, the longer you sit here, the more you could be blowing your chance. Who knows how much longer he's going to be standing there?"

"Fine." Naruto downed the last of his third drink. He hopped off the stool. "I'll go over. If this doesn't work, I blame you."

Sakura grinned. "Go ahead. But if it works out, I want an invite to your wedding."

"Shut up," He groaned. "Alright, I'm going over now." His first steps on the ground were clumsy. He hadn't used his feet since the alcohol intake and his balance was off. Miraculously, he arrived to the table in one piece without falling down.

"You look lonely," Naruto said.

"What?" The guy's tone was hostile as he looked up from his beer. His angry expression shifted to a smirk when his eyes landed on Naruto. "Oh, hey Blondie. How are you doing tonight?"

Naruto recoiled a bit at the nickname, but played it off with a laugh. "I'm doing good. You seemed like you could use a friend."

The man shrugged. "I was doing fine, but I don't mind company from someone handsome like yourself." He took a sip of his beer while keeping eye contact with Naruto the entire time.

Thanks to the alcohol, he blushed. He was more reactive to praise when he was intoxicated. Not to mention, the guy kind of looked like...

"We should go dance. This is a club after all," The guy said with a coy smile. "Wanna come?"

Naruto nodded, following after the guy. In this state, it didn't take much to convince him of anything. A gentle suggestion and he was gladly going along with whatever it happened to be.

The dance floor was just as crowded as when Naruto first arrived. Sweaty bodies pressed against each other as they moved to the beat. The stereos were even closer now, making it hard for Naruto to think. His thoughts were drowned out by the electronic dance song currently blasting throughout the club.

The guy wasn't a terrible dancer. He found the rhythm and followed it, keeping his eyes on Naruto as he did so. Naruto danced with a goofy grin on his face. The song was energetic and it made him feel good to listen, despite being played at a high volume.

For a couple of songs, the two men danced around each other. They stayed in their respective space, keeping enough distance between each other that it couldn't be confused for anything else. But when a more sensual song came on, that quickly changed.

In Naruto's defense, he didn't initiate anything. He was minding his own business and dancing when the guy came up on him from behind. Naruto, being drunk and stupid, laughed it off.

"What are you doing?" He innocently asked, cocking his head. The guy let out a breathy chuckle in his ear. The hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood up.

"Don't play naive with me, Blondie. You know what I'm doing." He wrapped his arms around Naruto and pulled him closer. Naruto felt something hard pressing against him.

The man continued to hold him and rub up on him, a groan or two escaping his mouth. Naruto would be lying if he said he minded it. He hadn't been physical with anyone in while. It was nice to feel wanted and attractive.

For the duration of the song, the two of them remained close. Not even an inch of space was between them. After the song came to an end, the man whispered in Naruto's ear.

"You're hot, you know that?"

******

Naruto wasn't sure how he ended up in a secluded area of the club near the bathrooms, but here he was. Not only was he in this strange part of the club where the music was reduced to a distant pounding, but he was pressed up against the wall with a stranger's lips on his. More specifically, the dark-haired stranger who seemed intent on being intimate with him.

He didn't even know the man's name, and here they were making out as the flush of toilets sounded not that far away. The stranger was more eager than Naruto, his kisses more demanding and urgent. Naruto's eyes fluttered open, catching a glimpse of the guy as they were mid-kiss.

Straight, black hair. Fair skin. A killer jawline. It was too similar to a certain someone. Naruto closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, cupping the man's face in his hands.

"Mhmm," Naruto moaned when he came up for air. He panted, resting his head on the wall. The man kissed his neck and moved his hand lower. It wasn't long before he was touching Naruto firmly. The only thing that separated them was a layer of cloth.

Naruto gasped, flattening himself against the wall. "O-Oh-" Then, out of nowhere, something unexpected slipped out of his mouth.

"Mhmm Sasu-"

Naruto's eyes shot open. He pushed the man off of him and swallowed hard.

_Oh my god, did I just-_

"Why don't we go back to my place? It's pretty close to here." The guy either had terrible hearing or was so intent on getting with Naruto that he disregarded what he said. He placed a hand on Naruto. "My bed is pretty big too."

"I should, uh, go," Naruto stuttered. He broke the man's grip off of him and ran away as fast as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so fun to write. I loved writing the interactions with Naruto and his friends. Also oh my god Naruto at the end haha... I wonder who he was thinking about... Also when y'all pointed out that my last chapter felt like a Cinderella moment, I lowkey cried that's so adorable I'm SOFT. I didn't intentionally do that, but I'm so glad it came across that way:') Thank you for all the comments and kudos!


	8. Interruption

_"Shit."_

The first word that came out of Sasuke's mouth when he woke up was a swear word. His phone said it was 8 AM. Practice started an hour ago. There was no time for stretching routines or letting himself catch a couple more minutes of sleep. He had to get ready—and fast.

Sasuke untangled himself from his blankets and threw them aside. He ignored the aching in his muscles and ran to the bathroom. As badly as he needed to get to the studio, he needed a shower more. He didn't want to show up looking disheveled and grimy. He had been so exhausted last night that he passed out before he could take a night shower and wash the sweat from the performance off.

He took a record breaking quick shower. While Sasuke normally savored the hot water covering his body, he couldn't today. This shower was strictly functional. When he finished cleaning himself off, he stepped onto the mat and dried his hair off with a towel. He skipped over blow drying it and let it stay damp. He didn't have time to sit there and run a comb through his hair while letting the heat rid the moisture. His hair would have to air dry.

Sasuke tied the towel around his waist and sprinted back to his bedroom, the towel slipping and almost coming undone. He traded his towel for a clean tank top and pair of tights. He packed up his duffel bag and checked his phone before unplugging it from the charger.

8:12 AM.

Sasuke was about to toss his phone into the bag, but paused. He looked closer to the date underneath the time.

Saturday.

Sasuke groaned, plopping down onto the bed. Saturdays were his off days. He didn't have to go to the studio today.

He crawled into his mound of sheets and threw them over himself, grumbling as he fell back asleep.

******

It was early afternoon when Sasuke awoke. Though, with the black curtains hanging over the windows, it appeared to be much later. Sasuke took his time getting up. He didn't sleep in much, so when he got to, he wanted to make sure he was taking full advantage of the extra hours. His arms stretched over his head. He slowly blinked and stared up at the ceiling. Sasuke wiped the remaining traces of sleep from his eyes and peeled the covers off.

He went over to the window and pulled back the curtains, letting sunlight filter into the room. At first, the amount of brightness was overwhelming to his dark-adjusted eyes. It took a couple minutes until he was able to not flinch. He walked out of his room and into the kitchen.

The kitchen had piles of dirty dishes scattered around. The sink was overflowing. During the week he had a full schedule and he didn't have time to do housekeeping. As a result, the kitchen was a mess.

After a couple minutes of hunting through the cabinets, he found a clean mug. He poured some chilled orange juice into the white mug and sat at the small table in the middle of the room. Sipping the juice, he glanced outside. The sky was a soft baby blue. From what he could tell, it was a nice day out. He wouldn't need a heavy coat.

Sasuke set the mug in the sink with the other dirty plates and glasses. He contemplated washing some of them since he had the time, but decided against it. Doing dishes was not an enjoyable and fun way to spend his day off. They would have to wait.

Sasuke changed out of his tank top and tights that he had fallen back asleep in and into something more suited for going into the city. His caramel colored coat went down to his thighs. Underneath, a black turtleneck wrapped around his throat. Through his light blue jeans was a dark belt. The bottom of his jeans were cuffed, exposing a bit of his ankles. His black boots were shiny, the laces wound tightly together.

He combed his messy bed hair, getting it to lie flat. It was getting long, the black strands falling in his face as he tried to brush it. Eventually he let it be. There was only so much he could do without getting out his straighter.

His predictions about the weather were correct. The outfit he chose was comfortable. The slight autumn chill didn't bother him. His arms were bundled up by his jacket and turtleneck. Golden leaves blew through the air and rolled on the ground. The city was bustling with activity, whether that be from people walking around or the _whooshing_ of cars.

Sasuke went to Cafe Dumont, one of his favorite spots around the city. He liked eating overpriced pastries and observing everyone around him. Cafe Dumont was situated in the heart of the city. People of all sorts came by as his coal colored eyes stared out of the window judgmentally.

Cafe Dumont's walls were a clean, light, gray. Healthy plants hung from the ceiling. Though there were a number of tables around the cozy cafe, Sasuke chose the window seat. It was best for people watching. He looked over the menu, his eyes traveling over the options. Since last time he had been there, there was a new addition to the menu.

"Welcome to Cafe Dumont. How can I help you?" A man in a crisp white shirt, black slacks, and an apron tied around his waist said.

"I'd like the Viennoiserie au chocolat and tea," Sasuke ordered the new food. Like most of the pastries, it was French in origin.

The man scribbled on his notepad. "Is that all?"

"Yeah."

"Coming right up." He dashed off, his shoes thudding across the floor.

Sasuke turned to look outside. On the sidewalk was a young man and woman. They were stopped in front of the cafe. The man was helping the woman fix her necklace. His finger got caught in the tiny links of the chain. The girl moved, causing the two of them to fall onto the ground. Sasuke suspected that they would be upset. The fall certainly didn't look pleasant.

On the contrary, the two of them were laughing. The girl untangled the necklace and freed the man's finger. She kissed him on the forehead and helped him back up from the ground. They brushed themselves off and walked away, arm in arm.

Sasuke couldn't name the feeling that bubbled in his chest. The most he could say was that he felt... weird. He wasn't stranger to this feeling. It had happened before multiple times, so it was shocking he wasn't able to better understand it. It happened whenever he saw a couple or even a pair of good friends.

He never really had anyone there for him, besides Mr.Hatake. He didn't have friends that checked up on him or a romantic partner that put his needs before their own. It was that way growing up and that way into adulthood. When he thought about companionship, it didn't seem like something he could ever realistically have. Besides, no one would want to spend their time with him anyways. He didn't exactly have a charming personality. He was self aware enough to acknowledge that.

"Sorry for the wait." The waiter set a plate and teacup down onto the table. Sasuke took his gaze away from the window.

"Let me know if there's anything else I can get you."

Sasuke gave the waiter a nod. He picked up the teacup and sipped. The steam rose up and hit his nose. The waiter smiled and walked over to a table with a lone man.

The tea was how he liked it; scalding hot. It warmed Sasuke's throat. He looked at the pastry. The surface was flaky and dark drown. Inside, were flecks of chocolate that rested on a spongy, yellow, interior. He took a bite.

 _Not bad_ , he thought. He washed the chocolaty treat down with the tea and returned to people watching.

A boy with long, brown, hair passed by him on a bicycle. He imagined it would be hard to ride one through the busy streets and pedestrian crowds. Trailing after the bicyclist was a woman on her phone. Her jade jacket flapped behind her. She smoothed down her hair, fighting against the wind as she walked.

Sasuke assumed she was on a business call by her serious expression, but he supposed it could be a number of things. Maybe she was on the phone with a doctor that was treating a loved one. Maybe she was getting fired. Sasuke wasn't sure. That was part of the fun; it could be anything.

"Fancy seeing you here."

The pastry was almost gone when Sasuke heard a familiar tone chime behind him. He grimaced, turning around.

"Hi Ino. What are you doing here?"

The ponytailed blonde pulled up a chair, the metallic legs scraping along the floor. Sasuke instinctively went to cover his ears.

"Is that really necessary?"

With one last screech, the chair came to a halt. Ino sat down, crossing her legs. "Is that any way to greet a fellow dancer?"

Sasuke uncovered his ears. "If they show up unwarranted to my private meal, yes."

"If I'm being honest," Ino said. "You should be thankful. You looked like a loser all alone. Now, at least you look like you have friends."

"If you're that friend, I'd rather be alone," Sasuke shot back, crossing his arms. "So why don't you leave?"

"Hmmmm," Ino paused. "No."

"I'll leave then." Sasuke shoved the last bite of his pastry in his mouth. He dug out a set of bills and set them on the table. "You can have the rest of my tea." He stood up abruptly and walked out the door. The waiter said goodbye, but he didn't bother replying. He was thoroughly irritated that his peaceful time was disturbed by the last person he wanted to see.

 _You know what, I'm gonna go to the gym_ , Sasuke decided. The gym was a good place to blow off steam and also keep his muscles toned. He changed the direction he was walking and headed back towards his car.

******

The gym was moderately full. There was a decent amount of people, but there were still tons of machines that were open. Sasuke spotted an open elliptical and headed on over. He set his bag behind him. Hopping on the machine, he got right into it. He made sure to pace himself. If he went too fast, he would be too burned out to go on beyond just this machine.

He worked out for a good twenty minutes. When he finished, he was sweaty. He wiped his forehead off with the towel he brought. He got off of the machine and looked around for what to do next.

To take a break from cardio, he wandered over to the weights. He stationed himself at an empty bench press. Once he laid on his back, he reached his arms up to the bar. The bar came down right above his chest. Any lower and it would've crushed him. He only had done a couple of reps when someone took the bar away from him.

"You shouldn't be doing that without a partner, it's dangerous."

Looking down on him was a man with blonde hair. On his face were strange whisker markings that Sasuke swore he had seen before. They weren't a common feature, so he knew he must've seen this man at some point prior.

Sasuke sat up on the bench. "I was fine."

"One move and you could've crushed your windpipe," The blonde man said. "I don't think you would want that."

"I live life on the edge," Sasuke dryly said. He reached down and wiped his forehead with the towel. "But thanks for saving me."

"No problem." The man grinned. "Why don't I spot you?"

Sasuke shrugged. He had no objections. He laid back down.

The blonde walked behind Sasuke. He lifted the bar up and placed it in Sasuke's hands. Sasuke gripped onto the bar, wrapping his fingers around the metal. He brought it down and lifted it back up. He did a couple reps before the man took it back and placed it into the frame.

"Pretty good. Lets add some more weight."

"Sure thing personal trainer." Sasuke rolled his eyes, watching the man add on more weights to the bar. "What else should we do?"

"I could think of a couple things."

He didn't know if it was the man's intention, but Sasuke thought that sounded ridiculously dirty. He was about to ask about it further when the guy spoke again.

"Alright, that looks like enough for now." He lifted the bar up.

Sasuke took it into his hands. His arms shook as he lowered the bar slowly and then back up. The additional weight created tension within his arms. It was harder to lift it the second time around.

"Very good," The man praised, taking it back after a couple reps. "Would you like me to add more?"

"No, that's fine for now." Sasuke sat up. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem. I'll let you get back to working out." He started to walk away.

"Wait." Something inside Sasuke compelled him to call out. "Why don't you uh... work out with me?" The weird feeling from earlier sprung up.

The stranger turned around, eyes wide with surprise. "You sure? After our last interaction, I didn't think you would want to be anywhere near me."

 _Our last interaction_... Sasuke thought, searching his memory. Where had he seen him before? Then, out of nowhere, it hit him.

"You're the one who found my ballet slippers."

The man let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah, that was me."

It made sense now. In their first time talking, Sasuke wasn't exactly the kindest.

"I was pretty tired. It was an exhausting day."

The man nodded. "I get it. It's okay. Wanna go to the treadmills?"

Sasuke stood up from the bench. "Sure."

He followed the man over to the treadmills. Many of them were occupied. That didn't surprise Sasuke. Treadmills were one of the most popular pieces of gym equipment. Today, he was in luck. Two treadmills were open, side by side.

They walked over. The blonde claimed the one to the left, leaving Sasuke with the one to his right.

Sasuke started up his machine while watching the stranger. He jumped right into it, turning his machine up high. No gently falling into the run for him. His first seconds on the tread were already quick. Sasuke curiously watched. The man's arms swung back and forth as he fell into a consistent rhythm.

Sasuke's gaze passed over his body. He was in a pair of grey joggers and a white t-shirt. While it was plain, it didn't leave much room for the imagination. Despite being clothed, Sasuke could tell by how the shirt clung to his body that he had a broad chest. His well-muscled legs were...

"You gonna start?"

Sasuke looked down. His machine was ready to go, lights blinking. The tread was moving, but he still stood with one foot on each side of the frame. He was too busy practically ogling the blonde that he forgot to begin his jog. Damn Ino for interrupting his lunch. If he would've gotten his fill of people watching, he wouldn't look like an idiot right now.

"Good idea." Sasuke hid his embarrassment and stepped off the sides of the treadmill. His speed was set much lower than the ambitious blonde.

"I never got your name," Sasuke said, easing himself into a steady jog.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The blonde—now Naruto—answered. "And you're Sasuke Uchiha."

"Bit creepy you know that."

"You're famous. That's not exactly private information."

"Hold up," Sasuke said. "Famous is an exaggeration. I'm not famous." _Otherwise, I wouldn't get ensemble roles_ , he bitterly added in his head.

"Well, you're getting up there. Before you know it, you'll be the lead."

"How do you know? You've been to one of my shows that I'm pretty sure you got forced to attend by your ballet obsessed friend." Sasuke turned the speed up on the treadmill and ran faster.

Naruto laughed, the laugh coming out breathy due to him panting. "I'm the ballet obsessed friend. Though, my friends don't know that."

Sasuke nearly tripped and fell down. He did a double take. This man was into ballet?! He couldn't believe it.

"Funny joke. I almost believed you for half a second."

"It's true," Naruto said. "And I've seen more than one of your shows."

"How many?"

"I'd prefer not to say." Another embarrassed laugh. "It's better you don't know."

Sasuke placed his hands on the handles of the treadmill to keep himself upright. He kept running, but it was hard to focus on that when he was being presented with all this new information.

"So... ballet, huh?"

"Hey! You can't knock it. You're a dancer yourself," Naruto said defensively, turning the speed up even more.

"I wasn't knocking it. I'm just surprised. You-"

"-Don't look like someone into ballet? Yeah, I know. There's a reason I haven't told my friends," Naruto said, glancing over at Sasuke. "You gonna tell them?"

"Obviously not. One, I don't even know you're friends. Two, why would I want to do that?" Sasuke was genuinely confused. Naruto shrugged.

"You never know."

A few moments of silence passed between the two men. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. Sasuke broke the strange tension first.

"Why do you like ballet so much?"

"I'm not sure this is an appropriate conversation to have while we work out. I'm getting winded." Naruto exhaled loudly. His speed was the same, but he no longer looked as composed as he did when they started.

"Then I have an idea. How would you like to come watch a practice?"

 _What the hell are you saying?! Shut your mouth, you idiot._ Sasuke reprimanded himself silently. As he went to take back his impulsive words, Naruto's mouth dropped open. He turned the speed of the treadmill all the way down to zero. He turned to Sasuke, incredulous.

"You mean that?"

_This is what you get for speaking without thinking. How can you turn him down? He looked so excited when you made the offer. You're an asshole, but not that much of one. He'll be destroyed if you take the offer back._

"Yeah," Sasuke silenced his persistent thoughts. "You can come by on Monday."

Naruto smiled so widely it looked like it hurt. "Alright!" His bright blue eyes sparkled. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome." Sasuke looked back to his treadmill. He wasn't sure what he was getting into, but it couldn't be that bad. What harm was one little practice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Naruto and Sasuke interaction, bless. I already love their dynamic so much and this is only their second interaction. It's funny to think how I'm 19k words in and we have _just_ had our second interaction between the love interests. When I said slow burn, I was not kidding readers!


	9. One Little Practice

To say that Naruto was shocked by Sasuke's offer was a gross understatement. He barely held it together as he and Sasuke stood there on their treadmills. All of the breath in his body was knocked out of him. For a second, he thought this was a dream and any second he would wake up to the harsh sound of his alarm clock.

However, that wasn't the case. Sasuke in his crop top and shorts remained beside him. Even when Naruto parted ways from the dark-haired dancer, he didn't wake up. Back at his car, he glanced from side to side. No one was there.

"Wooooo! I'm gonna get to see a practice!" Naruto did a victory dance in his seat. He threw his arms up and cheered. It couldn't get any better than that. One day he thought Sasuke hated him and now he was being invited to an exclusive practice.

He wondered what it would be like. He had seen Sasuke perform in shows, but seeing him in an informal practice was completely different. A tiny prick of fear penetrated the bubble of enthusiasm Naruto was surrounded by; what if it was just a cruel prank?

There was a chance Sasuke was taking advantage of the fact that Naruto was a big ballet fan. The address of the dance studio could be a fake address or leading to some sketchy alley. He had no idea. Sasuke was hard to read. After he made the offer, Naruto did a see flicker of regret cross his face.

Naruto tried to shove the worrying thoughts to the back of his mind and focus on what Sasuke had said; on Monday, he would get to see a practice. If it happened to be a prank, he would deal with that when the time came.

******

Naruto spent the rest of his weekend in anticipation. He made attempts to be productive, but none were successful. He couldn't stop thinking about seeing Sasuke soon. Not much time had passed since the gym and already Naruto found himself missing him.

It was still dark out when Naruto awoke on Monday. At first, he groaned and face planted into his pillow. Then he realized why he had awakened so early; it was time to go to the dance studio. Sasuke told him he didn't have to come in for the entire practice, but Naruto wasn't going to miss it for the world. He wanted to see every second, and that meant waking up at the crack of dawn.

Naruto smiled and crawled out of bed. He made his way over to his closet. Trying to pick out something to wear while nerves ate away at his stomach was proving to be insanely difficult. His hands sweated onto the hangers that held up his clothes. He pulled a dress shirt off a hanger and held it up to his body.

 _Hmmmm, too formal_ , Naruto concluded, hanging the shirt back up. While something like that suited a performance, it was likely too dressed up for a practice.

The next shirt Naruto pulled was a black graphic tee. This, he could work with. He paired it with an orange jacket and black skinny jeans that had rips at the knees. He slipped on a pair of black vans with white stripes on the sides.

He moved to the bathroom. He combed the spiky mess atop his head, getting stray hairs to stay in place. His hair went wherever it wanted. He didn't have much control over it. When it was presentable enough, Naruto washed his face with cold water. The cold droplets seeped into his skin and woke him up even further. He was awake, dressed, and ready to go.

The outside of the dance studio was a smooth slate. Across the entryway were orange L-shaped fixtures that went across and down, staggered to create an illusion effect. To the right of the building near a row of plants was a bronze statue of two dancers. The dancer in the back had one arm sticking out and the other wrapped around a woman who's back was arched. On the side of the building was a placard with the name of the studio; On The Beat.

Naruto walked through one of the double doors and found himself in a lobby. The furniture was grey and orange, keeping with the theme of the exterior. At the forefront of the lobby was a desk. A red-haired woman who sat at the desk looked up as Naruto walked in.

Naruto approached the desk slowly. "Hi. I'm looking for-" Sasuke hadn't told him many details about the dance class itself. He fumbled to figure out how to describe it. "-a dance class."

The woman laughed. "There are lots of dance classes here. You're going to have to be more specific."

"A ballet dance class."

"Do you know who the teacher of the class is?"

"No," Naruto said. "Actually wait," The article came to his mind. In it, he remembered a part where the teacher was mentioned. Despite recalling this, he couldn't pull the name of the teacher out of his memory.

_What letter did it start with? B? S? V?_

"It's... uh..." Naruto stammered. "Yeah, I can't remember."

"Hm... well, there are four classes currently in session," The woman said, looking down at her computer. "There's Ms.Yuhi, Mr.Sarutobi, Mr.Hatake, and-"

"That one. The last one." It clicked in Naruto's mind upon hearing the woman say the name out loud.

"Hmmmm alright." The keys of the computer clicked. "Mr.Hatake's class is in room 4. I can show you where-"

"Thanks!" Naruto dashed off without listening to what she had to say. He figured it couldn't be that hard to find.

He quickly discovered how wrong he was. The studio was like a maze. He had no idea where room 4 was. He moved frantically through corridors, keeping on the lookout for anything that had the number 4 on it. So far, nothing. Most doors were closed and the doors that were open led to dark rooms.

Naruto was paying more attention to the walls than where he was headed and slammed into someone, not even seeing them there. His head throbbed upon impact. He pressed a hand to his forehead, looking to see who he had run into.

A man with grey hair that stood tall (similar to his own) stood in front of Naruto, giving him a strange glare. He was wearing a long sleeve navy blue turtle neck and matching blue pants. Over the shirt was an ivy green vest. He came closer to Naruto.

"I've never seen you around here before. Are you new?"

"Uhhhh yeah. No. Well, I mean yeah, but I'm not..." Naruto stuttered. The guy was intimidating, staring him down with his dark eyes.

"Hm? What's that?" The man watched Naruto struggle, crossing his arms.

"What I mean to say is that I, uh, am new here but I'm not enrolled here. I got invited to watch a practice." Naruto finally got the words out. The man's thin eyebrows raised.

"Oh? Who invited you?"

"Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

The man gave Naruto a look like he was crazy. "Sasuke? No, I think you have the wrong person. Sasuke doesn't-" He stopped his sentence. "Is this some kind of joke? I'll let you know, I'm very busy."

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not kidding. He did. I got lost and couldn't find the room the lady upfront told me to go to."

"Yeah? What room was that?" The man asked in amusement.

"Room 4."

"Oh perfect. That's where I'm headed. Come along." The man disappeared around the corner. Naruto trailed after him.

Room 4 was a large room with a light colored hardwood floor. The pale walls were lit up by the early morning sun. When Naruto and the man walked into the room, the class was already full. Most of the dancers were sitting along the wall or doing stretches on the floor.

"Good morning everyone. We have a guest today. At least, I think we do. He says he was invited by someone in our class. Though, I never remember saying we could invite people." The man walked to the front of the room. Meanwhile, Naruto's cheeks burned. He felt quite put on the spot. He started to look at everyone in the room to see if he could find Sasuke, but ultimately kept his gaze on the ground. He was embarrassed at causing a scene.

"Mister... What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto said quietly.

"Mister Uzumaki. Why don't you take a seat in the back. Class, come to the middle of the room and we'll get started."

"Yes Mr.Hatake," The room chorused. Naruto froze.

 _Oh my god, out of all the people I ran into, it had to be Sasuke's teacher. I made myself look like a fool. Sasuke's really going to hate me now_ , he thought miserably. He slumped against the back wall.

Mr.Hatake crossed his arms behind his back. "Hmmmm what should we work on today?"

The room was silent.

"Well, since Mr.Uzumaki is _your_ guest, Sasuke. You can pick."

At the mention of Sasuke's name, Naruto's head shot up. He looked around the room, trying to spot his signature dark locks. In the mirror that spanned the length of the room, Naruto saw Sasuke at last. His heart skipped a beat. Sasuke looked divine in his tight black tank top and pants. Naruto thought that the color would've washed him out, but it did the opposite. It made his fair complexion even more beautiful than it already was. From where he was sitting, he could only see a fraction of Sasuke's expression. He looked like he was caught between irritation and embarrassment.

"Auditions for the next show are soon. We should practice for that," Sasuke said. His voice wasn't loud. Naruto strained to hear all his words.

"Good idea. As you all know, or should, auditions take place next class. I have given you all the same piece to perform. Based on how you do in that, I'll assign roles in the next show." Mr.Hatake paused. "We'll do warm ups and then get into practice." He looked around the room carefully eyeing everyone up as if he expected objections. No one said anything.

"Right. Grab the barres. Only a couple to a barre. Make sure you have enough room."

The class moved over to the rows of strange looking frames and brought them over to the floor. There were about 6 to one of the frames, except for the one Sasuke was at. He was all by himself.

Naruto thought maybe he was waiting for a specific group of people to join him, but that wasn't the case. He remained alone as Mr.Hatake lead them into warm ups.

"We're going to start off with this." Mr.Hatake walked over to one of the groups and placed his hand on the frame Naruto discerned was the barre. "One Fondu, assemble to the front, and then you go down, down, and out. One fondu to the side, rond de jambe single, rond de jambe double. You reverse. Fondu to the back, and tombe, tombe, fondu back, one in second single double. Don't go to fast." While he listed out the steps, he did them himself to show the class what they should look like.

"Start the music."

The girl by the sound system pressed a button. Light piano music filled the air. The dancers began right away.

"Down, down, and extend," Mr.Hatake coached while they were doing the routine. He was very hands on with the dancers. Naruto watched as he would go up to one of them and specifically correct what that one person was doing.

"Hinata, make sure your leg is going out far enough. Your knee is bent. It should be fully extended out."

Naruto looked over to where Hinata was nervously clutching the barre, her dark hair falling over her face. She mumbled something Naruto couldn't hear over the music. Mr.Hatake shook his head. "Keep trying. You'll get it eventually." He moved away and over to the blonde girl with the ponytail. Naruto remembered her as Sasuke's dance partner during Aida.

"Good Ino, good."

"Ok now other side."

The dancers switched so they faced the other direction, doing the routine again. Naruto tried to watch everyone in the room, but found himself mostly keeping his gaze on Sasuke. Sasuke was showing the same intense focus here that he did during his shows as he went through the different parts of the routine. With one hand on the barre, he let his legs do most of the work.

One pose bled into another and it seemed like one fluent motion rather than a series of individual instructions. It all looked so effortless; the way his limbs stretched out and then came back to his body, only to fall into another pose where his foot was intricately pointed. His tight clothes emphasized every move he did, even if it was slight and subtle. Naruto had to make sure he wasn't drooling.

The music quieted for a moment when the dancers had gone through the routine. Mr.Hatake wandered to the front of the room.

"Alright so we go three in front, frappé fifth, open second, double second, double second, double second, double second, three to the back. Close to fifth position. Pointe, second, second, second, repeat it on the stretched foot, one two three come down and come up. Double en pointe." The music this time around was much faster.

To Naruto, it sounded confusing, but the dancers knew exactly what he was talking about. They immediately did as Mr.Hatake said. Naruto looked back to Sasuke, who's feet were moving so quick he couldn't keep track of them.

"Away away away fifth position, extend." Mr.Hatake stood in the middle on the room and went along with the class. He looked over at a girl with light blue hair and stopped, going over to her. He lifted her arm higher. Once it was sufficiently high enough, he went back to pacing around the room.

"Make sure you touch on the double beat. Don't do it in the air. Whether you go flex to pointe, it's in."

He certainly had his fair share of comments to make. Despite Naruto not seeing any flaws in the dancers, Mr.Hatake was constantly pointing things out. Most people in the room had been critiqued, except for Ino and Sasuke. When the fast song wrapped up, Mr.Hatake wasted no time in already giving the next set of steps.

"From fifth, we should go to développé to the front, three pointe down. Then front plié , carry your leg to second, closed fifth. Développé to écarté three pointe down. Stretch towards the barre and start backwards. But backwards, you pointe. Plié, arabesque, and stretch and stay. Half turn; two, three, four, five, six," Mr.Hatake said. The music went back to a more slowed down pace.

This routine had a lot of leg extension. Sasuke had one leg planted firmly on the ground while the other pointed towards his ankle. He brought it up so it stuck out straight in the air. Naruto shuddered. It looked quite painful to him, though it seemed to have to effect on Sasuke. His face remained calm and collected as ever while going through all sorts of moves that required exceptional flexibility. At one point, Sasuke went all the way down to the ground while his leg pointed towards the ceiling.

"Get that leg higher and up more." Mr.Hatake went over to a thin girl at the same barre as Hinata. Even with his help, her form wasn't as good as Sasuke's. Naruto smiled as he watched him outperform most of the other dancers.

"Ok, moving on."

"So we go with a brush front and front and side, side, side. Back and back and again three to the side. Double one, Double two. Four in second. Petit Battement is on relevé. Stay on relevé back, second, second, second. Front, front, second, second, second. Four doubles in second position. Change legs, passe and it's a long balance at the end."

The movement in the room had been going for a minute or so when Mr.Hatake interrupted.

"Stop the music," Mr.Hatake waved his hands. The music faded out.

"We're going to redo that. Too many of you were making beginner level mistakes." Mr.Hatake walked the one of the barres. The group there moved away, giving him space.

"I'll show you a demonstration. Pay attention."

Not that he needed to tell anyone that. Just his presence alone commanded attention in how he carried himself. Naruto wasn't a dancer, but even he felt the need to watch him.

Mr.Hatake went through the routine while dissecting each part. "See how when I do those quick leg movements, I make sure I do all of them? Many of you are forgetting to do each one and instead are trying to get through the steps quick. Remember, this isn't a race. Even if the music is fast, you still need to make sure you're showing the full range of motion and depth of the individual moves." He ended with a graceful pose. "Outside of class, I want you practicing this specific routine."

A groan spread throughout the room. Mr.Hatake glared.

"What was that?"

"Yes Mr.Hatake," They murmured.

"Better. We're good with the barres for now. Put them away."

Without the obstruction of the equipment, Naruto could see Sasuke better. Sasuke brushed his hair out of his face and turned around. He managed to make eye contact with Naruto from across the room. Naruto grinned and waved.

Naruto saw him roll his eyes and shake his head, turning back around.

 _He's probably still embarrassed about me_ , Naruto thought as the dancers came back from pushing the barres off to the side and took over the floor. Mr.Hatake stood in front of the class, turning so his back was to them. He looked the mirror head on.

"So fifth position we'll go like this." His feet were close together while pointing in opposing directions. "Your head will be open. Front one, and two, and three, and four," On four, Mr.Hatake moved forward, his arms out. "Go back, come front, rond de jambe, close to fifth. Second one, second two, second three, second four, second five, pirouette, and other side." He spun around. Naruto thought he was finished, but he continued to list more.

"Arabesque, and back, and front with rond de jambe, and a quarter turn. On the count of three. 1, 2, 3." Naruto barely got through processing the steps and the dancers were already moving to the lighthearted piano.

While watching Sasuke do the barre routines was enticing, he enjoyed this even more. Here there was nothing restraining him. Sasuke moved freely, his head held high during the complex spins and turns. He was disappointed when Sasuke came to a halt.

"Alright. Next set of steps..."

******

The rest of the morning and into the afternoon was filled with hard work and training. Naruto stayed silent in the back of the room. He was content with observing Sasuke from a distance. He was still pretty intimidated of the dancer.

"I think that's good enough for today. Remember, I want you all practicing that routine from earlier," Mr.Hatake said, walking over to the door. "I'll know in auditions if you didn't," he added, leaving the room. With Mr.Hatake gone, the class was more relaxed.

Naruto stood up from his spot on the floor. He had been sitting for so long that his legs cramped. He did his best to try and lessen the aching, but he guessed it would take more than a minute standing.

The blonde girl, Ino, came over to where Naruto was standing.

"That's my bag," She said in a monotone. She pointed a purple nail at the bag behind Naruto's feet.

"Oh, sorry." Naruto moved out of the way. Ino grabbed the bag aggressively, throwing it over her shoulder.

"Who are you? Sasuke doesn't have friends." She popped a piece of bubblegum into her mouth, blowing a large bubble that exploded in Naruto's face.

Naruto wasn't sure what to say. Labeling what he and Sasuke were was... complicated. They hadn't had many conversations; surely not enough to be friends. He wasn't even sure that Sasuke liked him casually to be considered acquaintances. Sasuke could've invited him to see the practice out of pity, or to make up for his rude behavior; not because he wanted to spend time with him.

"Well, I don't know if... I mean... I think maybe... Actually, I-"

"Leave him alone, Ino."

Naruto looked away from Ino and towards the voice. A sweat drenched Sasuke appeared, a scowl on his face. Naruto looked him up and down. Though he was clearly exhausted and gleaming with sweat, he still looked good. All of the working out brought some color to his pale skin. He wiped his forehead and arms down with a towel.

"I'm not allowed to talk to him? I didn't think you controlled who he spoke to," Ino said, sarcasm in her tone. She looked back to Naruto with a sweet smile.

"Not to mention he's kinda cute. Why don't you be my friend instead of Sasuke? I'm more fun for sure."

Naruto was baffled. One minute, she was being borderline rude, and another she was flirting with him? It made no sense.

"Go away. He's my guest, not yours." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Naruto glanced up at Sasuke. On the dancer's cheeks was the faintest hint of a blush.

"Whatever," Ino said, fanning herself. "He's here now, that's all that matters." She batted her lashes at Naruto. "Why don't we have lunch together? I'm starved from all that dancing."

"Ok that's enough, we're going." Sasuke's thin fingers wrapped around Naruto's wrist, tugging him away. Naruto followed, letting Sasuke lead him out of the studio and into the hall.

"Sorry about her. I would say she's not always like that, but she is."

A few of the other dancers walked out of the room and passed them. Naruto saw their eyes linger on the two of them.

"It's okay."

"What did you think of the practice?" Sasuke said, adjusting the strap of his tank top. Naruto's eyes went to where the black piece of fabric was. His sharp collarbones protruded out from underneath the fabric.

"It was really interesting. You did good." He forced himself to look away and back up to Sasuke's dark eyes. "Seems really tiring though. If I were you, I would've passed out several times by now."

Sasuke's indifferent demeanor almost shattered. The corner of his lips upturned for a second and then went back to being flat. Naruto nearly missed it with how brief it was.

"Yeah, it is pretty tiring. That's why I'm going home after this."

"Hey Naruto. It's good to see you." Out of nowhere, Hinata came up to him.

"You too." Naruto looked over to her. Her fingers were clasped together, tapping against each other. Her lavender eyes were focused on him.

"See you around." She smiled, walking off down the hallway.

"Seems like you know my whole team." In Sasuke's voice, Naruto detected annoyance, though he saw no reason for it.

"We met the other night backstage."

"You were backstage?"

"Yeah. How do you think I got your ballet slippers?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

"I... don't know, I didn't really think about it." Sasuke looked a bit flustered, letting his hair cover part of his face. "Anyways, I'm glad you liked the practice. I should go rest now."

Naruto didn't want their talk to end, but he couldn't hold Sasuke back. Besides, he deserved a break.

"Ok. Well, I hope I see yo-"

Sasuke walked off while Naruto was in mid-sentence. Naruto watched him go around the corner, falling out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this fic has increased my love for dance. Before it, I didn't really think about dance much. Now whenever I see something that relates to it, I perk up haha. I was watching a dance show the other night too, it was great. Lemme know your thoughts on the chapter, as always:) I love reading what you all have to say! Seems like a certain boy is getting a bit possessive *eye emoji*


	10. Auditions

Despite what Sasuke told Naruto, he didn't plan on resting. Auditions were tomorrow and he couldn't afford to take time and lay around like a lazy house pet. He had to go over the routine Mr.Hatake had told them to do outside of class and practice more on the audition piece. Though he had it down, he didn't want to slack. If he went the rest of the night without going over the steps, he worried some freak accident would happen where the next morning his memory failed him and he couldn't recall any of them. Better safe than sorry.

He ignored the growling off his stomach and threw his duffel bag at the foot of his couch. There were a couple hours left until it was time for him to sleep and he planned on using every possible second until then. He went over to his bag and grabbed his phone. He found the music used in class and hit play.

The steps were still fresh in his head. Class wasn't that long ago. He heard Mr.Hatake's clipped tone recite them as he went through the routine.

_Back and back and again three to the side. Double one, double two. Four in second. Petit battement on relevé..._

Sasuke went en pointe. As he did the quick movements with his raised foot, Mr.Hatake's reminders resurfaced.

_This isn't a race._

He made sure he was doing each of the steps fully while maintaining a pace that matched the beat of the song. As he prepared to go into passé, he stumbled. With his balance disrupted, he made himself start over. Every little mistake, no matter how minor, was cause enough for restarting. He had to get it perfect; not a single toe could be out of place.

Sasuke continued his individual practice session as if Mr.Hatake himself was standing over his shoulder, keeping a critical eye on his form.

_Your leg isn't out far enough. Is your arm shaking? I swear it looks like it. You better straighten out. Balance is key. Your foot is not en pointe enough. It looks like it's flat._

Though Sasuke tried his best to remain focused, sometimes other things would infiltrate his mind. For example, what he ate for breakfast (not much), what he had to do in the upcoming week (more cleaning), and...

Naruto.

He didn't know why, but he caught his mind drifting to the bubbly blonde from time to time. As he would be holding a pose, a remark Naruto made would pop into his head. He tried his best to block out the thoughts, but it didn't always work.

During practice, Sasuke glanced back at Naruto in the mirror as he was dancing. Not much, but when he did he caught Naruto staring at him in awe; like he couldn't believe it was humanly possible to do the things he was doing. Not many people ever looked at him like that. It made him feel weird.

 _Doesn't everything make me feel weird?_ Sasuke asked himself with a sigh. He pushed anymore thoughts of Naruto out of his head and got back being focused.

Sasuke's intense training regime went for into the night. He planned on stopping around 10, but ended up going beyond that by two hours. He didn't even notice how late it was until he glanced over at the glowing digital clock on the cable box.

As badly as he wanted to keep going, he knew it wouldn't be wise to. He needed to at least _try_ to get an adequate amount of sleep for auditions. The less sleep, the more prone to making mistakes he would be, and Sasuke didn't plan on making any of those.

******

"So here's how this is going to work," Mr.Hatake said to the class. "You'll wait outside the room until I call you in. Don't go anywhere while you're waiting, because you never know when you'll be called. After your audition, you're free to go home. Understood?"

Sasuke and the rest of the class nodded. He wasn't a stranger to the audition process. Over the years, he had gone through many auditions. He still remembered his first one. Instead of being used to it like he was now, he was practically shaking. Mr.Hatake had to reassure him that it would be okay. He made a ton of mistakes in the audition, but Mr.Hatake didn't laugh. He told him good job and said he could go back outside.

"Maxine, you're up first. You can stay here. The rest of you, you know what to do."

Sasuke walked outside, leaning up against the wall. Auditions could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours, depending on when he got called. He hoped for the first one. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could stop letting it eat away at him.

"Good luck on auditions," Ino snickered, standing across from Sasuke on the opposing wall. "I see you didn't bring your little friend for moral support."

Sasuke didn't bother replying. He gritted his teeth and looked down at the ground, his hand clenching into a fist.

"Unless, maybe he's more than a friend. You seemed pretty upset when I talked to him." Ino moved off the wall and next to Sasuke, smirking.

"We're barely friends, Ino. Lay off." He rolled his eyes. "Instead of worrying about me, you should try and make sure you do well in auditions. You wouldn't want me to get a better part than you."

Ino loudly laughed at this. covering her mouth. "You think you're going to do better than me? That's cute. I've always gotten the better leads. Unless, you forgot all that and you need me to go through our history."

"Well," Sasuke said, lifting his gaze up to meet her pale blue eyes. Unlike Naruto's, they were cold and cruel. He preferred the bright and lively blue of the blonde's eyes...

_Focus, Sasuke._

"Our history is going to be changing very shortly. I _will_ get a lead. If not now, then eventually. Besides, it doesn't matter. No matter what part I get, I'll always overshadow you," Sasuke replied confidently.

Ino scoffed at this, adjusting her ponytail. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Ino, you're up," Mr.Hatake stuck his head out the door.

"Okay!" Ino sweetly said. When the door closed, she turned to Sasuke. The innocent look she put on for Mr.Hatake was gone.

"It's time for me to go kick your ass in auditions." She chuckled, walking away and into the room. The sound of the door shutting behind her was a relief. Sasuke was glad to be left alone where he could mentally run through the steps in his head and be free of her annoyance.

His name was called fifty minutes later. A couple people had gone before him, including Ino. As he walked up to the door, he heard someone call out his name. He turned around. It was Hinata.

"Good luck, Sasuke!" She called out, a smile on her face. Sasuke curtly nodded and went into the room.

"Hello Sasuke. Are you ready to perform?" Mr.Hatake said, scribbling something on a clipboard in his hands. Sasuke nodded.

"I'm ready." He looked Mr.Hatake in the eyes. Mr.Hatake smiled. He walked over to the sound system and pressed play.

The song started out slow as did Sasuke. He went en pointe and swayed, his arms floating through the air. He leaned to the right, his arm going over his head. He moved across the floor smoothly. His movements were so quiet that the only sound was the gentle brush of the ballet slipper making contact with the hardwood. The music guided his movements. He forgot Mr.Hatake was even there. All that was present was him and the music.

When the song picked up, his movements shifted to being short and quick. He did a grand jeté, his toes pointing out. When he came down and landed, he did a series of triple pirouettes. He used to get dizzy from just one spin. Not anymore. After the pirouettes, he got into tendu and did a temps levé. He hopped into the air, one hand curved above his head.

The song wasn't that long; approximately four minutes. Over the course of the short time, Sasuke went from a graceful adagio to a whirlwind of motion. He was panting as the number wrapped up. His final pose was an arabesque. The music faded out as he held the position, his leg extended behind him. He came back into a normal standing stance once the final _plink_ of the piano keys resounded.

"You practiced," were Mr.Hatake's first words.

"Of course, Sir," Sasuke said.

Mr.Hatake wrote something down. "Very well. You may leave now."

Sasuke did a small bow and left the room. The cool air of the hallway felt good on his face. He walked down the hall. Mr.Hatake called for the next person to enter the room.

"Hinata, it's your turn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels weird (sorry Sasuke I'm stealing your word) writing short chapters after big mega ones. The bright side is that they are much quicker to write which is always nice. We're almost at 100 kudos and I'm pumped! I'm glad you all are enjoying this story as much as I am while writing it:)


	11. Proximity

Naruto was at work being bored. He had a set of things he needed to get done, but none of that was of interest to him at the moment. He was more curious on how Sasuke's auditions went. He remembered Mr.Hatake mentioning how they were Tuesday—now yesterday. Sasuke was obviously insanely talented and Naruto had faith he would do well, but he wasn't sure. It was always possible he choked up or made a mistake.

He grabbed a pen from the mug he used as a writing utensil holder and gnawed on the end. It was less destructive than the other alternative; chewing on his nails. He was known to be one to do that before when his nerves spiked up. With the pens, at least his body remained in tact. The only downside to the pens was alarmed coworkers who saw the bite marks and wondered why they were there. He usually lied and said they were from Kiba's dog Akamaru who dug into his pen stash at one point.

"How those filings coming, Naruto?"

Naruto took the pen out of his mouth and shoved it into the cup. He looked up and saw his boss, Jiraiya, standing at the edge of his desk. His frizzy white hair was so long it reached the cluttered surface of his desk. In his hand was a steaming mug of coffee.

"The filings? They're going great." Naruto scanned his desk for where he had placed them. His desk was a mess of miscellaneous papers and knickknacks; an important manila folder was next to a small frog figurine. "Yeah, I should be done by the end of the day."

"You better. They're due then." Jiraiya took a sip from his mug. "I've already given you an extension twice this week because you weren't here for a couple days and yesterday. How are you feeling?"

 _Feeling?_ Naruto was confused. He thought back to a couple days ago.

 _Oh, right. I told him I was sick_ , Naruto realized as Jiraiya eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm feeling better. Thanks for letting me take time off."

"You're welcome, now get back to work." Jiraiya poked the frog figurine and walked off. Naruto sighed in relief, leaning back in his swivel chair.

 _That was close_ , he thought, searching for the filings. His hand knocked into a fox figurine as he attempted to find the documents. The painted fox fell to the ground. Naruto stood up, panicked. Not his fox!

He knelt on the ground, picking it up. It was still in one piece. Not even a chip was on the creature's red coat. Naruto silently praised the office for having carpet flooring instead of tile. He picked up the fox and set it next to the frog.

"Aha! There it is." Naruto saw the filings at last. He grabbed them, skimming through the sheets.

_This is going to take all afternoon, what a joy._

Naruto begrudgingly sat back down and got to work.

******

It was on the cusp of night when Naruto left the office. The last bout of sunset was clinging to the sky; a navy blue with the exception of a patch of orange. Street lamps lit up the street that Naruto walked down to get to his car.

Though he was tired from staring at a screen all day and doing mundane tasks, Naruto felt the need to do something active. His legs were cramped from sitting at his desk. He looked up the gym on his phone. It closed in a couple hours. That was enough time to get a good work out in.

He changed his route from home to the gym. Fortunately, his bag that he brought with him to the gym was in the backseat, complete with a change of clothes inside. He certainly didn't want to work out in a pressed white shirt, slacks, and tie.

The roads were less busy at this time of night. It made driving a much more enjoyable experience. Sometimes, he preferred it to when he got off at rush hour. At least now he could drive without heavy traffic making him stop every five seconds.

The gym parking lot was empty except a few lone cars. Naruto pulled his car into a space next to a Toyota Corolla and put it into park. He grabbed his bag out of the back and headed into the gym.

The lack of cars reflected in the floor of the gym. Most of the machines weren't being used. Naruto checked in and walked to the locker room. He was itching to get the stiff collar off him and be in something that allowed his skin to breathe.

The locker room, like the gym, was empty. Naruto set his bag on the long bench near a row of tan lockers and pulled out his casual workout attire. He set the clothes in a pile. He loosened his tie, sliding it out of his shirt and setting on down on the bench. He moved to undo the buttons on his shirt when he was caught off guard.

"You're a bit dressed up for the gym."

Naruto turned towards the voice. Sasuke, in a navy blue t-shirt and pair of grey shorts, stood in front of him. Naruto followed his line of sight as his gaze traveled down Naruto's body and back up. Though Naruto was still in his shirt and pants, he felt naked.

"I'd have to agree with you. I don't plan on wearing this to work out." He felt self conscious in his work attire. "That's why I'm changing. Well, I was before you stopped me."

"By all means, continue. I was just surprised to see you here. It's pretty late." Sasuke leaned against one of the lockers.

"I could say the same to you." Naruto went back to what he was doing before Sasuke's presence was known. His shirt fluttered open as all the buttons came undone, flashing a brief section of his stomach. If he looked up, he would've seen Sasuke take a peek.

"Where are you coming from all dressed up like that?"

"Work." Naruto replaced the constricting shirt with a more comfortable one that laid easily on his skin. He moved to his lower half, taking off his belt and pants, leaving him in a t-shirt and yellow boxer briefs.

"I can't picture you at work," Sasuke said, coming off of the lockers and over to where Naruto's discarded tie was. He picked it up, examining the satiny surface.

"Hey, give that back." Naruto pouted. He was half dressed and not in any place to be bartering over his clothes. Naruto went to grab the tie, but Sasuke moved out of the way.

"Hmmmm you're gonna have to try harder than that." A mischievous glimmer flashed over Sasuke's dark eyes.

Naruto lunged again for the tie. Sasuke evaded just as he had the first time. He moved further back, a cocky smirk playing at his lips. He wrapped the tie around his neck and played with the flap at the end, running his fingers over it. If Naruto wasn't in such a compromising position, he would've found it incredibly sexy.

Naruto jumped over the bench. Sasuke took off running, scooting around rows of lockers while Naruto chased him.

 _Damn, he's quick_ , Naruto thought, trying to figure out where Sasuke was. He peered around another locker. Sasuke had seemingly disappeared.

Then, when he wasn't expecting it, he spotted him. Sasuke was looking down another aisle; completely unaware of the fact that Naruto was only a couple feet away.

 _I got him,_ Naruto smiled, slowly inching closer. Any sudden movement and Sasuke would notice. He had to be stealthy.

Naruto lightly moved towards him, his footsteps making minimal noise. Sasuke looked over when it was too late. Naruto made his move quick, throwing his arms up. He backed Sasuke into the corner of the lockers. Sasuke tried to wriggle away, but it was pointless. Naruto had him cornered.

The mischievous look on Sasuke's face was overtaken by a look of mild alarm. His eyes were rounded, much wider than before. Naruto could see the rise and fall of his chest, hearing each of his shallow breaths. Any closer and Naruto would've been pressed up against him, their heartbeats thumping together.

With Sasuke that close to him, he forgot what he originally was trying to do. A fluttering sensation started near his heart and spread throughout the rest of his body. The last time he had been this near to someone was the stranger at the club. Though, this was completely different. With that guy, Naruto had just gone along with the flow. Whatever the guy wanted, he obliged in because of the alcohol flowing through his veins.

Unlike that man, he wanted Sasuke. He wanted him so badly it ached. He wanted to be even closer, feeling Sasuke's lips on his own. They looked soft and kissable. Sasuke's mouth was parted slightly, begging Naruto to lean down a smidgen and give him the most passionate kiss of his life.

He wanted to wrap his arms around Sasuke's stunning body and leave kisses all over. He could imagine how beautiful Sasuke would sound when he was being touched and doted on. What he would've given to be the cause of Sasuke's pleasure...

Naruto looked down and realized he had... another sort of problem. Lesson one; never be near the person of your dreams while not wearing any pants. Naruto grabbed the tie back before Sasuke noticed.

"Nice try." He held it in his hand and walked back over to where his gym bag and other clothes were. He quickly threw on his loose shorts. Sasuke came back to the area just as Naruto finished lacing up his sneakers.

"Would you like to be my workout partner?" Naruto said, changing the subject.

Sasuke shrugged. "Sure."

******

Naruto lifted the bar above his head, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. He was benching more than usual and his arms could tell.

"You sure you're okay?" Sasuke called out from behind him. "You look strained."

"I'm fine." Naruto let out a groan, not giving up. He had to keep going. He didn't want to look weak, especially not in front of Sasuke. He made it through the set of reps without letting his grip falter. He was more thankful than he was willing to admit when Sasuke took the bar back and placed it across the top of the bench.

"You've done quite a bit. Why don't we move to cardio?"

"Sounds good." Naruto twisted the cap of his water bottle off and gulped. He followed Sasuke over to the rows of different cardio equipment.

"You have a preference for what we do?" Sasuke paused before getting onto any of the machines.

 _I could think of a couple things_ , Naruto thought. Curse his impure mind.

"Nope. It's up to you."

Sasuke turned back to the equipment. He climbed onto a stationary bike and began pedaling. Naruto sat down to his right.

"So you never told me; how did auditions go?" Naruto said, straddling the small bike seat. It took him a second to get adjusted into a position that wasn't uncomfortable. Sasuke didn't say anything at first.

"Sasuke?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Sasuke grumbled, pedaling harder. "They were fine."

"What part did you get?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes." Naruto frowned. "It does."

Sasuke muttered something that Naruto didn't catch. Naruto angled his head towards Sasuke.

"What was that?"

"Benno. I got the part of Benno," Sasuke said with a sigh.

"You're doing Swan Lake?! That's so cool!" Naruto said. Swan Lake was one of his all time favorite ballets. To see Sasuke in it would be incredible. He looked to Sasuke who still seemed dejected.

"But you're not happy with that."

Sasuke shook his head. "I mean, it's better than being in the ensemble, but still not... good enough." The latter part of his sentence came out in a hushed tone.

"You'll get the lead next time. I know it. Your teacher would be crazy to _not_ give you the lead," Naruto said. "I'm not sure how you didn't get it this time. Did you mess up at all?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't think so." Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together. "I'm sure there's a good reason. I just..." He trailed off. "Really wanted to be Prince Siegfried."

"You'd make a good Prince," Naruto said, not really thinking about it. When he realized how it sounded, he scrambled to rectify his words. "Oh, I didn't mean it like tha-"

Instead of being offended or bothered, Sasuke just looked over at Naruto, a soft look on his face.

"You think so?"

Naruto grinned. "I don't think so; I _know_ so. The entire Kingdom would be swooning over you."

Sasuke tilted his head down, his hair falling over his face. Through the curtain of black, Naruto could see the smallest glimpse of a smile. Naruto's heart was bursting at just the small fraction of it he saw.

_I made Sasuke smile. I, Naruto Uzumaki, made Sasuke Uchiha smile._

The smile was gone when Sasuke looked back up. Sasuke's feet that had stopped pedaling for a minute picked back up.

"Are you going to come see it?"

"Of course I am. I'll be there on opening night," Naruto proudly declared, a hand over his heart. "You can hold me to it." With only one hand still on the bike, his balance was severely disrupted. He started to fall off the seat. He saved himself at the last second, his hands gripping the bike frame.

"I think you should hold yourself to the bike for now," Sasuke remarked with a snicker.

"Good idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't specified Naruto's job before because it isn't really relevant to the story. Naruto just works some boring office job. Poor baby. I'm so sorry to tease you all with a little intimate moment like that at the gym ;) oopsssss my baddddd. Special s/o to all my dancers that have left comments! It makes me so happy when you guys say that my dance parts are well written. I’m trying my best to research and it takes a lot of time and the information isn't always easy to find, so I’m glad you appreciate it! <33


	12. Handling It

"No, that won't do. Try again."

Sasuke panted, letting his shoulders sag. He had been training for hours. The debut performance of Swan Lake was soon and it reflected in Mr.Hatake's mood. He was even more critical than usual. He hadn't let a single thing slide all day. Sasuke had to start over for a plethora of reasons; an arm not being extended out enough, missing a single count, his head not facing the exact spot Mr.Hatake wanted it pointed at. Hell, it felt like if Sasuke _breathed_ wrong he would get scolded.

Sasuke inhaled, closing his eyes for a second. He couldn't just throw a tantrum and storm out of the studio. He had to keep going until Mr.Hatake didn't have a single comment to make.

But with that in mind, Sasuke figured they would be spending overnight in the studio. Rare were the times Mr.Hatake considered a routine perfect; he always had something that could be improved upon.

Sasuke cracked his neck and got back into the starting position. Mr.Hatake pressed play on the sound system. The opening notes bellowed from the stereo.

Sasuke jumped and spun around in the air, his arms laying in an 'x' across his chest. The second his feet touched the ground he went right into an assemble, his legs coming up and touching in the air. He did another assemble, only to have Mr.Hatake shake his head.

"Your feet need to stay together for longer in the air."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms defiantly. He barely had started the routine and already he was being stopped by yet another remark.

"That's not physically possible. Do you want me to defy gravity too?" Sarcasm dripped from his tone.

"Excuse me, but I thought I misheard you. It sounded like you were talking back to me. That couldn't possibly be the case, now could it?" Mr.Hatake glowered.

Sasuke sighed. "No."

"No, what?"

"No, Sir." Sasuke gritted his teeth.

 _I hope I nail this stupid routine so I can just go home,_ he thought, gearing up to begin the steps from the top.

Sasuke would be lying if he said he wasn't exhausted. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. That combined with only eating two pieces of toast for breakfast and running through dance after dance was enough to make anyone worn out. Sasuke would've killed for a nap right about now.

Not to mention that the bottom of his feet were blistering. Every time they made contact with the ground, a searing pain erupted. Other than his feet, his back was so sore that when he twisted, an ache took a hold of him. He hid the pain on his face well after years of training, but inside he was wincing.

"Ready?" Mr.Hatake asked, his hand hovering over the play button. Sasuke nodded, positioning his arms. Mr.Hatake hit play.

This time, Sasuke made it further. He strode across the floor and did a spin in the air. When he came down, he did an assemble, keeping his legs together as much as he could. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't even a sliver of space with how close they were.

Sasuke stepped with his back foot and did a tour jeté, bringing his leg around and sticking the landing. He looked over to Mr.Hatake, expecting a comment. He remained silent.

Sasuke did a set of pirouettes. As he came out of them, he went right into another tour jeté. Mr.Hatake cut the music, striding over to Sasuke.

"When you went into that second tour jeté, it was much weaker. You need to make sure you keep your momentum and don't lose it during the pirouettes."

"Would it kill you to say _one_ nice thing..." Sasuke grumbled under his breath. His patience was wearing dangerously thin.

"A nice thing?" Mr.Hatake said, scoffing. "This isn't compliment hour. We have a performance soon and you need to be at the top of your game. You have a solo, did you forget?"

"Of course I didn't forget." Sasuke heard Mr.Hatake's harsh tone and raised him with a sneer. "I just think it would be nice to not be bombarded by things to improve every second."

"If you're not capable of doing the solo, I can give it to someone else," Mr.Hatake said. "I know that there are a ton of people that would be more than grateful for-"

"-I _am_ grateful!" Sasuke interrupted, his voice climbing to a yell. "But it would be nice to know at least I'm doing _something_ right for once."

"We don't have time for that. We have to make sure this whole thing is perfect."

" _We_ this. _We_ that. You mean _me_. You're not doing anything but standing there and judging me!" Sasuke shouted, shaking as the words came out. His brain didn't have time to process that maybe Mr.Hatake was just trying to help and was as stressed as him. All that he could think in the heat of the moment was that he was pissed and didn't feel like having his technique insulted.

"As your teacher, it's my job to correct you when you mess up. I don't want you to be a mess on the stage. It wouldn't make-"

"A mess?! You think I would be a mess just because my foot landed a second too soon? Give me a break." Sasuke frowned, turning to look Mr.Hatake head on. His teacher's face was eerily calm while Sasuke yelled. He thought he would at least look a little alarmed, but no. He kept his usual stoic manner, as if waiting for Sasuke to get it all out and finish.

"You're always the hardest on me. When someone else messes up, it's bad but you don't scold them intensely. You practically crucify me when I do even the slightest thing!"

"Do you know why I'm the hardest on you?" Mr.Hatake pierced Sasuke's burst of anger with a question. It made Sasuke stop in his tracks.

"No," Sasuke said. So there was a reason for all of this? Great.

Mr.Hatake didn't keep Sasuke guessing for long. "It's because I know you can handle it."

"Handle it?! Does it seem like I'm handling it well?!" Sasuke shot back.

"Yes."

Sasuke was utterly baffled. If 'handling it' meant freaking out and going off on your teacher, then sure, he had it down. Other than that, he had no idea how Mr.Hatake considered any of this 'handling'.

"You've handled it up until this point. Most people would've snapped and broken down much before now. Not you. Do you know why?"

Sasuke shook his head. He had no clue.

"It's because you're resilient. You don't let anything stop you. You could've given up when you kept getting ensemble roles, but you didn't. You used that to fuel you forward to try harder for the next round of auditions. Sure, you may have been sad, but not once have you ever threw in the towel," Mr.Hatake said. "You push yourself even when you shouldn't."

Sasuke listened to what Mr.Hatake said. His first impulse was to fire back with something angry, but he couldn't. Mr.Hatake was giving him praise. It's what he wanted all along. Now that he was actually getting it, he felt strange. He wasn't used to something other than criticism coming out of his teacher's mouth. He had known the man almost all his life and this was one of the first times he really acknowledged him.

Mr.Hatake walked over to the sound system and hit stop. With the absence of the crescendo of the piano, it was silent.

"I get that I have to be good, but _shit_ , sometimes it's hard to be perfect. I'm trying my best. You know I take this more seriously than anyone else in class. I always have. It's more than just ballet to me. Ever since..." Sasuke looked down, his arms hanging limply by his side. He couldn't finish the sentence. The words wouldn't come out. He stood there like a mute idiot while his emotions went from anger to disappointment to anger again to guilt. They changed so rapidly he couldn't keep up.

"I know you do," Mr.Hatake said, the harsh edge in his voice softened. "You're right. I forget that you need praise too sometimes. You're one of the strongest dancers I've ever worked with, and I've worked with some of the best dancers in the country."

Sasuke stayed frozen in his spot. He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't good at accepting genuine compliments above a "good job" from random audience members at his shows. Praise from Mr.Hatake was completely different.

"I..." Sasuke said. "...care what you think." He let his head hang down, embarrassed.

_I shouldn't have said that. He's gonna think it's stupid. I am stup-_

Sasuke felt something on his head. It was Mr.Hatake's hand. He ruffled his black flop of hair, making it messy and stick out in every direction.

"I know, superstar. That's why I'm saying all these things. I want you to know that even if I don't say it out loud, I think you're an amazing and dedicated dancer."

Sasuke looked up, a smile on his face. "Thank you... that means a lot. But maybe... the solo should go to someone else. I don't know if I deserve it..."

"You do. I wouldn't have given the role of Benno to you if I didn't think you would fit it well. I have full confidence that you will succeed," Mr.Hatake said.

Sasuke's smile deepened. The unmotivated attitude from earlier evaporated. With Mr.Hatake's words, he felt ready to get back into it and do the routine perfectly even if it took a hundred attempts.

Mr.Hatake took his hand off of Sasuke's hair and grinned. "How about after training, we go get some ice cream together at the restaurant down the street?"

Sasuke's lips twisted out of the smile."That sounds nice, but-"

"Don't worry. It's on me," Mr.Hatake said. "You don't have to pay a single dime."

Sasuke's smile returned. "That sounds great."

"If you land the grand jeté in under four tries, I'll make sure your cone gets two scoops instead of one." Mr.Hatake walked back over to the sound system. Sasuke chuckled a bit.

"A wager? Alright, deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I say this every chapter (or at least think it) but this chapter was a pain. Though, I was happy with the end result. That's just the writing mood I guess. I love scenes with Mr.Hatake and Sasuke more than humanly possible. I actually cry whenever Mr.Hatake calls Sasuke 'superstar' it's literally so cute and pure. Hands down my favorite dynamic (besides the obvious sns one). Thank you for all the comments, kudos, and general support! We hit 100 kudos I'm so happy you all like my silly little AU :)


	13. Perfection

Naruto checked his desk calendar and had an exciting realization upon seeing the date; the premiere of Swan Lake was tonight!

Ever since learning about Sasuke's role in the ballet, he grew more excited as the days passed. It would be Sasuke's largest role yet. Though the raven-haired dancer wasn't pleased with his casting, Naruto was. The role of Benno, albeit not as important as the Prince, was still a substantial role. Sasuke was just too hard on himself.

Naruto looked at the time. It was one in the afternoon. Only a couple more hours until he was released from office boredom and could get ready for the show tonight. He mentally ran through his wardrobe.

_Navy? Black? White?_

"How's your report coming along?" Jiraiya asked, coming over to Naruto's desk.

"Uh, good." Naruto stifled an awkward laugh. It was hard to get any work done when all he could think about was seeing Sasuke jump and twirl on stage.

"You sure? Your computer is opened to a blank doc," Jiraiya said, leaning over Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto looked at his computer's display. Jiraiya was right; in the middle of the screen was a plain block of white. The cursor blinked at the top of the document, mocking Naruto for his lack of progress.

"Oh... yeah. I finished the report and was getting a head start on the next one."

"Wow. Keep that up and you might win employee of the month." Jiraiya clapped Naruto on the back. Naruto forced himself to smile.

"Oh no that's not necessary. I think there are much better employees here than me." _That don't lie about their progress_ , Naruto added in his head.

"We'll see by the end of the month. Based on just this though, I'd have to say you're in the running."

"Thanks boss. I'm gonna get back to work now," Naruto said, wishing Jiraiya would back off. To his relief, the man did.

"Good! Cute calendar." Jiraiya pointed to the picture for the month. Two small green frogs crouched on a log together.

"Thanks. It was a Christmas gift." Sakura had given it to him last Christmas. There were only a few more frog pictures left, as it was September and the year was coming to a close soon. He hoped she decided to give him another one this year.

"Nice. Well, happy working." Jiraiya waved, walking off to harass another coworker.

Naruto sighed and stared menacingly at the blank document. As badly as he wanted to prematurely go home, there was a report to get done; a report he had lied and said he already completed.

******

When Naruto arrived home, it was a bit chaotic. The ballet started soon and he had to get ready right away. To maximize his time, he set a pot to boil on the stove while he went to take a quick shower. Was it the most safe thing? Certainly not. But Naruto was more intent on not missing any of Sasuke's performance than the possibility of his stove catching on fire.

Naruto was just in time as the water bubbled and threatened to spill over the rim of the pot. Naruto dumped the noodles in and lowered the heat. While the noodles softened and cooked, he ran back to his room.

He hurriedly changed into clean clothes. The tie, a splash of crimson, stood out against the navy pants and blazer. Naruto worked on fixing his hair as he went back over to the stove. He added the noodles to the broth and let it stew. The smell of herbs filled his nose as he stirred the ingredients around.

The ramen was satisfactory. Naruto ate while trying to not drip on his outfit for tonight. Showing up to the ballet with a stain was not on his list of things to do. After the meal, he set the bowl in the sink. It was time.

The theater was tall and covered in thick stone walls that reached up into the dark sky. Three large windows with rounded tops were in the middle of the building; pillars standing on each side of a window. On the furthest window to the right hung a lime green flag. Instead of just one entrance, there were three sets of doors. Naruto choose to stand at the middle one.

"Ticket?" A woman said in a monotone, holding out her hand. Naruto gave the ticket to her. He had it ready to go as soon as he stepped in line.

"Enjoy the show."

"I will, thanks." Naruto took the ticket back and pocketed it.

When he was inside the theater, he made his way to the stage area. Since he was alone, he didn't have to waste time socializing. He went right to his seat and stared up at the dim stage. In only a few short minutes, Sasuke would be dancing in front of his very eyes.

Since the locker room incident, Naruto's fondness for Sasuke only had worsened. He couldn't stop thinking about how even more breathtaking Sasuke was when he was inches away from him. He regretted not making a move on him when he had the chance. He doubted he would get another opportunity where they would be that close.

The seats next to Naruto filled up as people filtered into the theater. He minded his own business, checking his phone. He had a text from Sakura.

(7:21 PM): _How was your day today?_

Naruto decided he had enough time to reply before the show started. He typed a reply.

(7:23 PM): It wasn't too bad. Work was boring as usual

It wasn't long before he got a response.

(7:24 PM): _I figured. Wanna catch up over dinner?_

Naruto bit his lip. It was pretty hard to catch up over dinner when he was at a ballet show.

(7:26 PM): I would love to, but it was a long day. I think I'm gonna go to bed early tonight

 _I'm really lying to everyone a lot lately. Sasuke feels like my little secret_ , Naruto thought. Heat rose to his cheeks as he really considered it. In a way, Sasuke _was_ his secret. Minus Sakura accidentally seeing the ballet photo shoot, he kept his infatuation private.

The lights flickered, alerting everyone that the show was to begin soon. Naruto tucked his phone away and looked back up at the stage.

It wasn't long before Sasuke made his first appearance. He was one of many that were at a party. Naruto remembered this part of Swan Lake. The Prince celebrates his birthday at the beginning.

If the Prince wasn't in the scene, Naruto would've easily thought that it was supposed to be Sasuke. He was dressed similarly to the lead; an embellished jacket and clingy tights. While the Prince's jacket was a deep green and his pants were black, Sasuke dressed head to toe in pale blue. He looked regal with his formfitting jacket and tights that left nothing to the imagination.

Naruto watched as the scene progressed. Prince Siegfried was confronted about choosing a bride which made him upset. Benno aka Sasuke tries to cheer him up. They gather a group and set out to go hunting.

Sasuke was not in the next Act whatsoever, which disappointed Naruto greatly. Instead, it was the Prince and the swan-turned-girl that he recognized as Ino. He thought it was a strange role for her. Odette was a very fragile and delicate character, while Ino was the polar opposite. He thought Hinata would've been a much better choice.

Sasuke came back in Act 3 and to Naruto's delight, he came back on stage by himself. It took him a second to make the connection; it was time for Sasuke's solo.

He was so excited he was almost bouncing up and down in his seat. Sasuke would have his full attention without him feeling bad for ignoring the other dancers. The stage that had gone dark for a few seconds lit back up. A spotlight focused on Sasuke, making sure there was no mistake of who to be watching. Sasuke looked poised and calm under the spotlight. The sound of a piano filled the air, prompting the start of the solo.

Sasuke moved all across the stage, utilizing every inch of free space. He made the stage his. Not a single part of ground beneath him was untouched by his ballet slippers. To get to one side to the other, he soared through the air and spun. Naruto's gaze followed him no matter where he went. He was so captivated and all he thought about was how magnificent Sasuke looked. 

The solo wasn't that long but Naruto savored every jump and pirouette. When Sasuke finished the solo, Naruto clapped so loudly his hands hurt. The rest of the show didn't have another Sasuke resurgence (sadly). Naruto watched Ino and the Prince meet their tragic end.

On the way out of the theater, Naruto listened to the buzz around him. The general consensus seemed to be that it was an amazing debut.

"That was so lovely. Even better than the last show I saw." Naruto heard one woman exclaim to a man beside her. He nodded in agreement.

"It was, wasn't it? We might have to go to another showing."

Naruto yawned while he waited to leave. What he said to Sakura wasn't a total lie; he was pretty exhausted from work. He was thankful when the cluster of people began thinning out.

The cold night helped him stay attentive. He walked on the concrete, about to go down the stairs to the parking lot, when he heard a loud sigh to his left. He glanced over, squinting. Someone was hunched over on a bench.

Naruto debated if he should just pretend that he didn't hear them. He could just go home, settle under the covers, and pass out without giving it a second thought. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't like that. He would feel guilty if he didn't at least check on them.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, walking over. In the darkness, the bench was swallowed in shadows, making it hard to tell anything about who the person was. It wasn't until they looked up that Naruto felt his heart nearly stop.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasuke said, looking a bit flustered.

Naruto frowned, not buying that even a little. Sasuke didn't look put together like he did while he was performing his solo. His breaths were ragged, his eyebrows were furrowed in concern, and his posture was in a way that he almost folded in on himself.

Naruto sat down on the bench. The bench wasn't exactly the definition of spacious, but Naruto made sure to give the dancer room. Sasuke scooted further away from Naruto until he was teetering on the edge of the bench. If a gust of wind happened to strike, he would've fallen off.

"I'm not gonna hurt you. You can sit closer," Naruto said, patting the space in between them. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"I'm fine here."

"We were closer in the locker room," Naruto pointed out. A smirk tugged at his lips but he forced it away. Now was not the time to be thinking about that.

Sasuke's eyes remained narrowed, but he moved slightly closer. Emphasis on slightly. He still was very near the end of the bench.

"What's wrong?" Naruto said. "I would think you would be happy after that amazing debut."

Sasuke let out a laugh of disbelief. "Amazing? That's exactly why I'm upset." He shook his head, looking down at the ground.

Naruto was confused. Sasuke had done exceptional.

"But you did so well."

"No, I didn't. I messed up." A look of fury overcame Sasuke. "During one of my tour jetés, my legs didn't go far enough apart. On my third pirouette, my body didn't stay as still as it was supposed to and I almost fell. Then during my-" He continued to ramble on and name a million more mistakes he supposedly made. Naruto listened with a frown on his face.

"-Like I practiced this so many times, how can I mess up on something as easy as that?! My fourteen year old self could do better than I did tonight." Sasuke finally stopped and caught his breath. Naruto waited a few moments before speaking.

"I saw your solo and it was amazing. You're being too hard on yourself."

"No. I'm not being hard _enough_. If I was, I wouldn't be making such basic mistakes," Sasuke retorted, glaring at Naruto. "Mr.Hatake is going to be furious with me and give away my role to someone else."

"No he won't. You're great as Benno. If anything, he'll congratulate you on how well you did."

"You clearly don't know him. I'm supposed to have this nailed I didn't nail it." Sasuke brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I just have to practice more until I don't make a single mistake."

"It's impossible to be perfect. You're not a robot. You're gonna make mistakes. That doesn't mean you didn't do good," Naruto said.

"I will be perfect, watch me," Sasuke hissed, straightening back out. "You don't understand. Perfection is the only option."

"But that's unrealistic," Naruto insisted. "You're going to end up working yourself to death."

Sasuke shrugged. "So be it."

Naruto worried at how nonchalant he was about the prospect of dying. He tried to meet Sasuke's eye, but the raven was still looking downwards.

"Sasuke..."

"I just," Sasuke sighed. "need to do better." His arm dropped down by his side, fingers unfurling. Naruto looked over at his hand and reached over, taking his hand in his own.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke said, his breath hitching.

"Trying to comfort you. Human contact is, uh, good for that stuff." Naruto didn't know how justify the impulsive decision.

Sasuke scoffed and took his hand back. "That's ridiculous. Besides, I don't need comfort. I'm fine." He stood up, his back facing Naruto.

"I'm sorry if I-"

"I'm going home. Thanks for coming to the show," Sasuke mumbled, walking down the stairs and into the parking lot. Naruto was left dumbfounded as to what transpired as he watched Sasuke shrink the further he got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Naruto getting rejected. He just wanted to hold Sasuke's hand and console him :( The dialogue with Sasuke and Naruto is so dramatic and fun to read out loud. I recommend you try it when you read it haha. Chapter 14 is going to get... interesting... That's all :)


	14. Prove Them Wrong

After his pathetic performance, Sasuke dedicated himself to long nights in the studio. He refused to make another misstep. He would work until he had the routine perfectly. He didn't care what Naruto said. He _could_ and _would_ be perfect. No matter what it took to get there. He would show the dumb blonde that it was possible.

Sasuke implemented an even stricter schedule than he previously went by. He woke up as the birds were chirping and went to bed deep into the night. Every hour was either in the studio or at home practicing when the studio closed. With how much practicing he did, there was seldom time for other things like eating or cleaning. His stomach flattened and his apartment became more cluttered.

On the day of another performance of Swan Lake, Sasuke decided to spend his time in the studio. He had already had class, but that wasn't enough. He needed to keep going. When the room emptied, he continued to keep training by himself. It wasn't until Mr.Hatake came in much later that he realized just how long he had been at it.

"Sasuke? You're still here?"

Sasuke came out of his arabesque. He wiped sweat off his forehead and looked over to his teacher. "Yeah."

"Have you been here since class ended?" He paused the music and gave Sasuke a look of concern.

"Yes again."

"Class ended five hours ago."

 _That doesn't sound right, I think it was only one hour ago rather than five_ , Sasuke thought to himself. He glanced out the windows in the back of the room. Earlier, the bright sun streamed through and into the studio, combining with the overhead light to make a comfortable dance environment. In place of that was a harsh darkness. He supposed he should've noticed that the room had less natural lighting.

"I guess it has been awhile. Isn't that a good thing?" Sasuke stared in confusion. Mr.Hatake shook his head.

"That's too long. You should be resting for the show tonight."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You get mad when I don't practice enough and when I practice 'too much'. I don't think I'll ever win."

"It's about balance," Mr.Hatake said. "You shouldn't slack, you're correct. But you also shouldn't work so much to where you never have time for breaks and rest." He took one look at Sasuke's sweat-drenched form which earned another shake of his head. "Have you even been hydrating?"

"Yeah, I think," Sasuke said on instinct. In reality, he couldn't remember the last time he took a sip of water. Mr.Hatake walked over to Sasuke's duffel bag and peeked inside.

"Oh really? That's why your water bottle is sitting in here still filled to the brim?" He held up the bottle of water. Sure enough, not a single ounce was gone since he filled it up this morning.

"I guess not."

Mr.Hatake walked over, bottle in hand, and unscrewed the top. "Drink."

"You're making me?"

Mr.Hatake's expression remained as serious as it was when he first walked into the room. "Yes. Drink up."

Sasuke begrudgingly took a sip of water. He didn't realize how badly he was in need of refreshment until he felt how dry his throat was afterwards. He took another sip.

"You really gotta take better care of yourself, kid. If you don't, I'm gonna have to sit in for every training session."

"I'm not a kid." Sasuke pouted. "And that's not necessary. I can handle it."

"You'll always be little Sasuke to me." Mr.Hatake ruffled Sasuke's hair with a smile. "Ooh gross. Here, I'll get you a towel." He left the room. When he came back, he had a clean towel.

"Thanks." Sasuke dried his hair with the towel. "I'm gonna go back to practicing now."

"No you're not."

"And why is that?"

"The show is soon. You need to get over to the theater and get ready," Mr.Hatake said. "Maybe take a quick shower before too," He added teasingly. "See you there."

******

Sasuke had time for a short shower. He changed into his costume in his apartment rather than when he got to the theater. The high collar of his jacket rested uncomfortably around his neck like a clamp. He looked himself over in the mirror. Last role he was in white and this role he wore light blue. Where were all the roles where he could wear all black and dark colors? He was sick of looking like an Easter basket.

"You're late," Ino said as Sasuke arrived backstage and stood near the mirror where dancers applied their makeup. He was going to do it before he came, but he was getting low on time. As a cruel punishment for his poor time management, all the chairs were taken besides one next to her. He reluctantly sat down, getting his makeup out.

"No I'm not. The show hasn't started yet." He flipped open an eyeshadow palette and dusted his lids with blue. "Nice try though."

"I wasn't trying anything." She popped her freshly glossed lips and looked over to Sasuke. "It would be tragic if one of our cast didn't show up, even if their role is minor."

Sasuke bit down on his tongue hard. She knew that he was insecure about his role. He ignored her despite the irritation mounting in his chest and focused on doing his makeup. It was his time to shine soon and he wasn't about to let her petty antics distract him.

"Anyways, good luck tonight. You'll need it. I hear that there is a journalist in the audience. No pressure." Ino smirked, hopping off her chair.

"A journalist?" Sasuke said, a pang of worry striking his heart. Journalists and reporters were known to sit among the crowd for articles on occasion. Mr.Hatake always warned him when that was the case so he was prepared. It wasn't like him to omit this detail so he wondered the validity of her claims.

 _She could be trying to throw me off_ , Sasuke thought, _Or Mr.Hatake didn't want to tell me because of how already stressed I've been..._

Ino giggled and walked off, leaving Sasuke to fret alone. He sat in the chair, tapping the brush on the table. It was better to be safe than sorry. He would assume that there was a journalist in the audience even if their wasn't; meaning he _really_ couldn't make a single mistake. Messing up was bad enough. Messing up and it being broadcast to the general public was even worse.

"Two minutes! Places everyone!" Mr.Hatake's frantic voice came over the bustling backstage. Sasuke slid off the chair and over to his designated spot. He was near Hinata, who let out a quiet squeak when Sasuke came near her.

"I'm s-sorry if I'm in your way."

"You're fine." Sasuke glanced over to the right. Ino stared at him from across the space. She winked and mouthed 'ready?'. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sneered at her, turning away. She would be gravely let down. He wouldn't snap under the pressure. He would be better than ever.

The curtain slowly rose. Sasuke inhaled deeply. He would show all of them; Mr.Hatake, Ino, Naruto, and any possible reporters. He _was_ the best.

Act 1 was the easier of his two appearances. His moves weren't as complex as they were in the looming act 3. He hung in the middle of the group at the Prince's party and moved in sync with the other dancers. When the act was finished, he was pleased with his performance.

 _Take that_ , he smugly thought as he went off stage until it was time for his solo. His other cast mates talked to each other and rested. Sasuke contemplated drinking some water and letting his weary feet take a break, but the notion was short lived. If for some reason he made an error during his solo, he would never forgive himself if he used the spare time to relax instead of going over the steps.

_Spin around, two assemblés, pas de chat, glissade over to the front, assemblé, tour jeté..._

Sasuke practiced over and over in the limited space he had. The other dancers cast strange looks at him, but he ignored them. If they were complacent with their ability, that was on them.

Sasuke was about to finish the sequence for the seventh time when he heard his cue to go on. A grin spread over his face as he made his way over to the edge of the curtain. The regal sound of the piano filled the air. Sasuke pushed back the curtain and went out on stage. Any trace of a smile was gone. He forgot everything else but the movement of his feet and the outstretching of his arms.

He let the music carry his body, as if dictating it how to move. He paid no attention to the glaring spotlight or the hundreds of faces in front of him. His focus was making sure his steps matched the music seamlessly. He did spin after spin and assemblé after assemblé.

Sasuke was almost to the end of the solo. All he had left to do was a series of grand jetés and fall into the ending pose where he knelt on the ground. He ran across the stage, ready to jump when his body felt heavy. Something was off. Dancing always made him feel the opposite; weightless and light. Now, as his feet padded against the ground, his limbs felt like they were weighed down by sandbags.

He wasn't sure how he could possibly leap through the air with this heaviness constricting him. Sasuke stumbled, missing the beat where he was supposed to be off the ground. A gasp spread quickly throughout the audience.

That wasn't the only issue. The loud music that resounded over the theater sounded faint in Sasuke's ears. The piano seemed to be a million miles away. He strained to hear the individual notes, but it was all a jumbled mess of faint noise. He swayed back and forth on the stage, unable to do the next grand jeté.

_What's going on? _Sasuke thought, fighting to get any air into his lungs. His attempts to breathe were futile. His throat became tighter with each try.__

Not only was his hearing off, but his vision took a blow. It began with the edge of his sight until his entire field of view was a heap blurriness. People and lights came together until despite his eyes being open, he could see nothing. He felt disconnected from his physical body and no longer in control of how he moved. The last thing he remembered was what felt like a force pulling him down towards the stage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say interesting? I meant 'Sasuke is going to have some issues'... Oops my bad ;) That end scene was super intense to write and I actually gave myself a headache doing so whew. Poor Sasuke he really needs to take better care of himself, doesn't he? Hope you all looooove my cliffhanger.


	15. Emergency

Naruto was sitting in his seat near the back of the theater when it happened. He was enjoying Sasuke's beautiful solo when suddenly all of the color drained from the raven's face. At first, Naruto had no idea what was going on. Sasuke was pale, so he thought maybe he just happened to be paler because of makeup. He quickly learned that wasn't the case.

In each show of Sasuke's that Naruto had seen thus far, the dancer's temperament was focused and serious. When he shifted into this new state, he was uneasy. Naruto was far from the stage and yet he could still see the shaking of his thin body. It was unbearable to watch. Naruto wanted to rush up on stage and take him into his arms. He couldn't though. He was yards away from Sasuke and it all happened so quick.

Sasuke took a couple of steps forward, his head swinging wildly from side to side. Naruto dug his nails into his seat. Someone had to do something! He clearly wasn't in his right mind.

Naruto glanced at the people around him. They all had the same horrified looks about themselves as he did. A few people whispered to each other, only to look back at the stage with confusion. The feeling of restlessness inside Naruto grew. He wanted to scream out and get some help for Sasuke. He hoped someone would put an end to this; that maybe Mr.Hatake would dash out on stage and grab a hold of the frail man before something happened.

But no one did. Sasuke's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body went limp. He collapsed in a heap; limbs splayed out and his head turned to the side. Tenseness charged the air like an electric current. No one moved. No one spoke. No one did anything. Everyone just looked at Sasuke to see what would happen.

Nothing. Nothing happened. It was clear after a couple seconds that the dancer was going to remain motionless. A team of dancers still in their costumes rushed out on stage and hoisted Sasuke up. Sasuke's arm dangled down as they carried him off stage.

Then, as if the whole ordeal hadn't even happened, the ballet resumed. Dancers came back out without Sasuke's slack body in their grasp and continued the story of Swan Lake. Naruto was outraged. They didn't even acknowledge it. They just rushed him offstage like he was an inconvenience that needed to be hidden away. He couldn't stand by that and watch the rest of the show without worrying about Sasuke the entire time.

Naruto rose from his seat and ran out down the aisle, his dress shoes thudding on the carpet. He pushed passed the heavy theater doors and into the hallway. With the show going on, it was nearly empty. A security guard stood off to the side, looking at his phone. Naruto grabbed him by the arm.

"Do you know anything about the dancer who passed out a couple minutes ago?"

The security guard motioned his head towards the entrance doors. Naruto let go of his arm and sprinted outside. He was just in time to see an ambulance speeding off, its bright lights flashing erratically.

Naruto relied on his instincts rather than thinking. There wasn't time for that. Presumably Sasuke was in the ambulance (unless another dancer had an incident which he highly doubted). He had to get to him as fast as possible. Instead of doing the smart thing, he proceeded to chase after the emergency vehicle on foot. The siren blared loudly, making his ears ring. His hand came close to touching the back end of the vehicle, but it missed, swiping air instead of metal. The ambulance gained speed and fell out of range.

Naruto stopping running. He wasn't exactly slow, but he was no match for something that could hit 80 miles per hour.

 _Plan B it is_ , Naruto decided. He bolted back to the parking lot. Adrenaline kicked in as he weaved in and out of cars. He searched for his Sedan, but he couldn't spot it anywhere. It didn't help that the only light source was from a sparse few lampposts.

 _Where is this goddamn car?!_ Naruto frantically wondered, finding another car that looked like his but wasn't. Sasuke laying in an ambulance flashed through his mind. He stopped in his tracks, thinking about it for a second. Was he alone? Had he woken back up? Who was taking care of him? Was he going to be okay?

There was so much uncertainty and Naruto couldn't handle it. His efforts turned more desperate. He was on the brink of tears when finally he found it; his car.

"Next time I'm gonna pay better attention to where I park," Naruto muttered out loud to himself, throwing the door open. He fumbled with his keys, somehow getting the correct one in the ignition. An obnoxious rap song nearly ruptured his ear drums when the car turned on. He lowered the volume immediately.

The nearest hospital was ten minutes away. Naruto clicked on it on Google maps; New Horizons Hospital Center. He set his phone on the dashboard and listened to the robotic instructions. Traffic wasn't bad for most of the trip. Well, that was until Naruto ended up behind a collision between two cars.

"You've got to be kidding me," Naruto groaned. He honked his horn impatiently. In normal circumstances, he was fine waiting a bit, but this was anything but normal. Sasuke's welfare was on the line.

Naruto checked his phone. The battery was down to 13%. He cursed under his breath. Figures that right now while he was backed up that his phone would be close to dead. He looked over the car floor. There was no sign of his charger anywhere. He would have to pray that it held out. With how poor his battery was, it was like wishing for a miracle.

To distract himself, Naruto turned to the radio. He skimmed the stations for an upbeat song.

_Baby please come back to me, how I've missed you so-_

Skip.

_It's too late to begin again-_

Skip.

_Why did it have to be-_

Skip skip skip.

 _Apparently the radio wants to see me sad, how great._ Naruto gave up and turned the volume to zero. It was better to sit in silence than listen to angst when he was already a ball of worry.

After a good twenty minutes of sitting behind the same green truck and biting his nails, cars resumed their normal pace and began moving.

"Finally," Naruto said, exasperated. He gripped the steering wheel tight and stepped on the gas. It felt good to be moving again. No longer was he at the mercy of traffic. He sped down the freeway. The hospital was only a couple more minutes away.

 _I'm coming to see you Sasuke. I'll be there soon_ , Naruto repeated to himself. He exited onto the main road and waited at the red light. The hospital was just down the street. The light changed to green. Naruto drove towards the illuminated facility, its details becoming more clear the closer he approached. Dozens of windows were lit up. None of them compared to the large Emergency sign that burned his eyes. He looked away and focused on the road.

Naruto found a parking spot near the front of the building. He rushed to fit into the lines on the ground, resulting in a very crooked park job.

 _Sorry for whoever wants the spot next to me_ , Naruto apologized mentally. He ran towards the glowing sign. Once he reached the front doors, he threw them open with urgency.

At the desk sat a woman with a low ponytail. She didn't look up as the door slammed behind Naruto. He ran up the desk and gripped the front, panting.

"I'm here to see someone."

"Who are you here to see?"

"Sasuke Uchiha." He held his breath while she checked something in front of her.

"Mr.Uchiha can't have visitors right now unless you're immediate family. Are you?"

"Errr no," Naruto admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. The woman went back to whatever she was doing prior to Naruto's intrusion. 

"Then you can't see him. Sorry."

"You know what-" Naruto stopped himself.

 _I have an idea_ , he smiled. He walked over to the group of chairs and took a seat. He couldn't act irrationally. That wouldn't help him. He planned on playing the waiting game and he didn't intend on losing it.

To his surprise, he didn't have to wait as long as he thought he would. Five minutes in and the woman stood up and walked off somewhere. Naruto jumped to his feet. He looked in every possible direction. The coast was clear.

With one last quick turn of his head, Naruto ran back to where the different rooms lay. The hospital was similar to the dance studio. He had no idea the layout of the massive building and was left to rely on his instincts to find Sasuke. Last time, he ran into Mr.Hatake who guided him to the room. He wouldn't be so lucky tonight.

The hallways were crawling with nurses and doctors which added to the challenge. Naruto had to duck and hide more than he would've preferred. It was hard to peek into the rooms while he had to worry about someone spotting him.

Then out of nowhere, there it was; room 312. When he looked in, he didn't see anything at first. He had to do a double take. Only then did he realize it was Sasuke. His hair that always had a sheen to it looked dull and messy, even through the small window. Naruto's heart ached. It was unlike Sasuke to be so unkempt.

"Yes, we should probably go see how she's doing. Last time we checked, she-"

The sound of a voice grew louder as Naruto stood outside the door. He swore and turned the knob quickly, throwing himself into the room. He shut the door behind him. Standing with his back to the wall, he waited for the voices to pass. Footsteps came closer and closer.

Naruto closed his eyes. His heart raced in his chest. He wasn't supposed to be back here. If he was found out, it was over before he could even see how Sasuke was doing.

Sasuke.

Naruto opened his eyes. There Sasuke was. The last time he saw him, Sasuke was a crumpled pile on a stage. Minus the stage, he looked the same. The rising and falling of his chest was so subtle it was as if he wasn't breathing. Naruto moved to get a better look.

A thin sheet covered him. His arms were resting on top of the sheet. In his arm, an IV stuck out along with a couple other lines. Naruto winced. It looked painful. Sasuke's face was as pale as a ghost. Naruto was disappointed to see that not much color had returned. He looked fragile. It was strange. He was used to seeing Sasuke very much strong and in control. He hated that he was rendered so... helpless. It took an incredible amount of self restraint to not reach over and shake him awake.

"Excuse me. What are you doing in here?"

_Shit._

Naruto turned around slowly. A nurse eyed him up, a scowl on her face.

"Mr.Uchiha isn't supposed to have anyone visiting right now. Who are you?"

Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He had to respond. He couldn't deliberate over the implications of lying versus being honest. He had to make a decision, and now.

"I'm... uh..." Naruto said, blanking.

_C'mon Uzumaki. THINK!_

"I'll tell you if you promise not to kick me out right away."

The nurse stared at him in disbelief. "You're not in any position to be making deals. I'm going to alert security and-"

"-No! Don't do that." Naruto waved his hands. "I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I saw him pass out and I was worried. That's all. I wanted to know what happened to him." He shot the nurse a pair of pleading eyes. He only brought them out when he really needed them. The nurse sighed.

"We're still running tests, but from what it looks like, Mr.Uchiha seems to being severely dehydrated and malnourished."

Dehydrated and malnourished?! Naruto couldn't hide the shock from his face. His mouth dropped open.

"Does that sound about right? Since you know him?" The nurse asked.

"I... don't know. I guess it could be a possibility," Naruto said, pitifully looking back over to Sasuke. As he stared at him, their last conversation echoed throughout his mind.

_You're going to end up working yourself to death._

_Then so be it._

_Then so be it._

_**Then so be it.**_

_Sasuke wasn't joking. He really meant that_ , Naruto thought solumnly to himself. Sasuke was a pretty serious guy, but he didn't think he meant he was going to work himself to the point where he didn't even drink or eat.

"You'll help him, right?" Naruto said, his voice trembling. The nurse nodded.

"Of course we will."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't as good as seeing Sasuke back in full health, but it was something. He looked back to Sasuke again with a frown.

"When will he get released?"

"If everything goes well, tomorrow."

"Who's going to pick him up from the hospital? He can't be driving so soon after fainting like that."

The nurse looked down at her clipboard. "Hm. No one is listed as Mr.Uchiha's emergency contact."

"No one?! What about a mother? A father? A sibling?" Someone had to be there to take care of Sasuke. There had to be someone.

"No. No one is listed," The nurse reiterated after checking again. "In the contact spot, it's blank."

Naruto looked back to Sasuke with a newfound sadness. How was that possible? He had so many questions that all clogged his brain and made it hard to think. The nurse snapped him out of it.

"If you're going to stay for a little, make sure not to disturb him. He needs to rest." She walked over to Sasuke's horizontal form. Naruto wanted to push her out of the way and stand guard. He was protective of the raven, even more so now that he was in a compromised position. He held himself back. The nurse checked his IV and monitor. She left the room after doing so, leaving a disheartened Naruto and an unconscious Sasuke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! Remember in chapter 3 when Naruto is lurking and finds the article online? Well, in the article it talks about how dancers often neglect their health and end up injured ( _hint hint look at me foreshadowing wow_ ). I mean it wasn't the only foreshadowing but still! I hope you liked the chapter. Our poor boys. One of them is worried out of his mind and the other is hurt. Love that casual angst.


	16. Capable

Sasuke Uchiha awoke in clothes he didn't remember putting on and in a room he didn't have any recollection of. It was not a very comforting sight to be greeted with. The unfamiliarity was bad enough, but what was worse was the throbbing pain seemingly everywhere. Any body part he could name hurt.

His vision was blurry for a couple seconds when his eyes first blinked open. All he could see were fuzzy outlines of the strange room. His sight slowly returned to its normal state. He looked down. He wasn't in just different clothes, but he was in what appeared to be a shapeless, thin gown. Attached to his arm were wires. He moved his arm. The wires were connected to various different machines. He didn't know what they were, but he wanted them off of him.

Sasuke's vision further sharpened the longer he was awake. The room he was in was incredibly sterile. The walls were plain and the room was filled with mostly weird machines.

 _What did I do to end up here?_ Sasuke asked himself, rubbing his pounding head. He looked across from him. Someone was slumped over in a chair.

He recoiled, sitting up in the bed. He didn't know where he was, but he knew one thing; he always slept alone. There was no reason for some stranger to be in the same room as where he rested.

Sasuke tilted his head. There was no noticeable features of the person that would clue him in on who they were. All he could see was a white dress shirt and black pants which narrowed his guesses down to... no one.

Sasuke clutched the sheets over him to his chest. His fingers dug into the thin fabric. One of the machines near him began beeping faster. Sasuke glanced over. On the screen were green peaks that looked like amateur sketches of mountains. The spikes were closer together as the beeps increased in speed.

"You're awake," An astonished voice called out. Sasuke looked back to the chair. The mystery person was now sitting up. Sasuke was taken aback. He didn't know who he expected, but it certainly wasn't...

"How are you feeling? I can get you something to eat if you're hungry. Or I can get you a drink. Whatever will make you feel better," Naruto rambled, a dopey smile on his face. Sasuke rubbed his eyes. Maybe if he cleared the remainder of sleep that was in them, he would discover that Naruto was a mere illusion. If not that, then possibly he was still asleep and this was another strange dream. That would explain why he was in what appeared to be a hospital.

"You should try to drink something. The IV helps with hydrating you, but water is even better. Why don't I go get you some?" The blonde didn't disappear. In fact, he started moving towards the door. Sasuke had to put a stop to this, regardless of if it was a hallucination, dream, or reality.

"I don't need water."

"Not drinking is partly why you ended up here in the first place," Naruto said with a frown.

"What even happened?"

"You don't remember?" Naruto walked back to the chair and sat back down. Sasuke shook his head. The memory was hazy. Last he remembered, he was performing his solo and the next minute he was waking up here.

"You fainted in the middle of your solo," Naruto carefully said, as if explaining the situation would prompt it to happen again.

Sasuke sat there, taking it in. He fainted?! In the middle of his solo?! He groaned, cupping his face in his wire-strewn hands.

"Fuck... What about the reporter..."

"What reporter?"

"At the show." Sasuke sighed. "There was a reporter there to write an article on the performance. Now all that's gonna be written is about how I fainted. No one will talk about how I did. It's all gonna be about that. All that hard work for nothing," He raved, having to inhale before starting up again. "I can't believe it. I need to get out of here right now and go talk to the publishing company." He peeled the sheet back.

"No. You need to rest." Naruto ran over and stopped Sasuke before he could make any further movements. He tucked the sheet back over him and checked his wrist.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Sasuke snapped, pulling his wrist away.

"I was just making sure that you didn't become disconnected from the machine, sorry," Naruto apologized. He backed up and went to stand at the foot of the bed. "I know this isn't a good position for you to be in, but..."

"But what?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't like Naruto's hesitant tone.

"IthinkIshouldlookafteryouwhileyourecover."

"Hm?" Sasuke wasn't sure what he said. Naruto looked away.

"I said I should, uh, look after you while you recover."

" _What?!_ Absolutely not." Sasuke crossed his arms. He would be damned if he let himself get taken care of like a helpless child. Ever since he was young, he managed fine by himself. He didn't need supervision.

"Someone needs to look after you and make sure taking care of yourself."

"No, they don't. I'm fine alone," Sasuke insisted. "Keep saying that and I'll kick you out of my hospital room."

Naruto resembled a wounded puppy after that. He frowned, his lips forming into a pout. "You're obviously not, or you wouldn't be here."

Sasuke prepared to launch back a scathing remark when a lady in a white uniform walked into the room. She set a tray piled with food on his lap. He looked down at its contents; a bagel, eggs, and a small cup of orange juice. He scrunched up his nose.

"Can he get some water too?" Naruto spoke up.

"I don't need-"

"Sure. Be right back with the water." The nurse smiled widely at Sasuke, walking out of the room.

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "I didn't say I wanted water."

"Well, you need it," Naruto said. "Eat your food."

Sasuke shook his head and pushed the tray away. "No. I don't want to. I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat," Naruto insisted. "How else are you going to recover?" He pushed the tray back towards Sasuke.

"Dunno. Without eating."

"You're so stubborn."

"You're just figuring that out? Wow, you're slower than I thought," Sasuke said with a snicker. It was Naruto's turn to glare.

"Insult me all you want. That doesn't change the fact that you need to eat and I'm going to look after you."

"You can't force me into allowing that."

"We'll see what the nurse thinks."

The nurse came back with a foam cup. She set it down on the tray near the orange juice. "Anything else I can get you?"

"No," Sasuke stated firmly. "You can take away this tray too. I'm not hungry."

The nurse looked concerned. "You should at least try to eat. After you do that, we can talk about releasing you."

"Releasing me?" Sasuke perked up at this. He desperately wanted to be in his apartment away from sick strangers and weird machines. Hell, he would force himself to eat a few bites of the dry bagel in front of him if it meant he would be able to be free.

"Yes. You will be released, but that comes with some conditions."

Sasuke stopped rejoicing. Conditions were never a good thing.

"You're going to need to rest at home for a couple days to a week. During those days, you need to relax and make sure you're eating and drinking."

"A week?! I can't just take a week off from dancing!" Sasuke exclaimed. "It's not possible. I can barely take one single day off. A week? Forget about it."

"You need to. I don't want you ending up back in here and that means getting yourself to full health again without interruptions." The nurse ignored Sasuke's outburst. "It says that you have no emergency contacts on your patient sheet. Who are you going to have take you home?"

"I'll drive myself," Sasuke said. "I can handle that."

"And risk passing out while you're driving? I don't think so. You need someone to drive you."

Sasuke huffed, looking over to Naruto. Sure enough, the blonde had a large grin on his face.

"I'd be more than happy to take him home, Ma'am."

"No. I am _not_ -"

"Sounds great." The nurse wrote something down on her clipboard. "You can take Mr.Uchiha home." She finished scribbling and turned to Sasuke. "We'll discuss forms and payment when you're finished. Enjoy your meal." She walked out of the room.

"Don't worry about any of that. I'll take care of it," Naruto assured Sasuke. "You focus on eating." He winked, following after her.

Sasuke grumbled. So maybe he couldn't stop Naruto from driving him home. What he could stop him from, however, was taking care of him after that point. He would refuse to let Naruto step a single foot inside his apartment. The drive would be a simple transaction; he gets dropped off, Naruto leaves, and he gets to stay at the apartment by himself before getting ready to go to dance practice. Easy as cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh our boys are having a little hospital tension it seems. I love that Sasuke was straight up gonna just get out of bed and try to find the reporter haha imagine him just showing up in the hospital gown like "I need to speak with you." I say this a lot but thank you all so much for all the love and support on this fic. Every kudo and comment always makes me smile even when I'm having a bad day and I appreciate all my readers so much <3 You all make me wanna keep going even when I get stuck at a certain part :')


	17. Grocery Shopping

Going into this, Naruto expected resistance from Sasuke, and resistance he got. It took a twenty minute back and forth argument to even get Sasuke to agree to ride in his car. He kept coming up with excuses.

"I bet it's dirty. I don't want to ride in a car filled with trash," Sasuke would say. To which Naruto would reply "I just cleaned it a couple days ago."

"You don't even know where I live."

"That's what Google maps is for."

"What if your car breaks down? I'll take Uber instead."

"My car won't break down, trust me."

Eventually when Sasuke ran out of possible reasons, he gave in, but not without complaining the entire duration of the way to the car.

"Are we almost there? This is taking too long."

"We've been outside for thirty seconds. My car is just over there." Naruto pointed as they walked. "I parked near the front so it won't be much longer." He grabbed his keys out of his pocket and pointed them at the direction of his car. It made its signature unlocking sound. At the car, Naruto ran over to the passenger side to hold the door open for Sasuke.

Sasuke shot him a deadly look. "It's bad enough you have to drive me home. Don't do that too or I'll slam your hand in the door."

Naruto couldn't discern whether or not he was joking, but he didn't want to push his luck today. He let go of the door and walked around to the driver's side. Sitting next to Sasuke was a bit stressful. He enjoyed his presence, but he was so snappy and he was afraid that he was going to be on the receiving end of it the entire ride over.

"You can pick what you want to listen to. I don't know what kind of music you like, and-" He was cut off by the sound of his radio. Sasuke was already fiddling around with the stations.

"What's your address?" Naruto said over the loud piano that was coming from the stereo. He didn't even know there _was_ a classical music station. Sasuke ignored him and leaned back in his seat.

"I need to know where I'm taking you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Give me your phone."

"What? Why?"

"So I can type in the address, duh."

"Oh... right." Naruto took out his phone, entered the passcode, and pulled up Google maps. He handed the phone to Sasuke, who took it with another eye roll.

"Here," He said after typing for a moment, putting the phone in Naruto's lap.

"Thanks." Naruto looked at the address. "You live in an apartment?"

"Yep." Sasuke turned away, facing the window. Naruto wanted to ask him more, but clearly Sasuke wanted to be left alone. He propped the phone up on his dashboard and started to drive.

The apartment was in a poor part of the city that Naruto hadn't been in before. He was thankful for the map, otherwise he would've been lost. The area reminded Naruto of a dystopian wasteland from a futuristic movie. Most of the buildings that he passed were worn down, boarded up, abandoned, or all of the above. The few places still active were a McDonalds, a gas station, and a Burger King. It didn't look like a suitable place to live. Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. He was still looking out the window.

Naruto made a turn at a light. Not only was everything in desperate need of a makeover, but there was hardly any traffic. It felt like a ghost town; he and Sasuke the only two living souls within the parameters.

Naruto passed a building with a chain link fence in front of it. He looked for a sign, but there was none. He was left wondering what it used to look like at its peak.

"We'll be there in a couple minutes," Naruto announced.

"I know. It's my apartment," Sasuke said lowly. "I can't wait to change out of this."

Naruto, seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, peered over. Sasuke was tugging at his jacket collar. Before leaving the hospital, he had to change out of the gown and back into what he came in. He was stuck in his tight costume. Seeing his discomfort, Naruto pressed down more on the gas.

He shaved a couple minutes off the expected time. The apartment parking lot was mostly empty. Naruto figured all the various tenants were probably at work.

"Where should I park?"

"One of the visitor spaces," Sasuke replied without looking over. Naruto circled the lot, keeping a look out for the visitor parking spots. He found one after his second time around.

Naruto took his keys out of the ignition and tossed them in his pocket. He went over to get the door for Sasuke, but stopped himself. He didn't want to rehash that argument again.

"Lead the way," Naruto said.

"I got it from here. You can go now." Sasuke walked off towards the apartment complex.

"Nope." Naruto continued to follow behind Sasuke. "You aren't going to get rid of me that easily."

"Oh yeah? Watch me." With that, Sasuke picked up his speed and ran.

 _Nice try, Sasuke. But I'm not going to lose you_ , Naruto thought while running. He stayed close behind all the way up to the apartment. At the door, Sasuke was jiggling the doorknob and cursing. Naruto caught up.

"What's the matter? Can't get in?"

"The key is in my bag." Sasuke sighed. "Which is at the theater." He slumped down by the door.

"Don't worry. I'll go get it. You stay here."

"And what? Wait by the door?"

"See you in a little bit. Don't move," Naruto yelled, running down the hallway. He heard Sasuke complain until he was out of earshot.

******

"Sorry about that. I couldn't find it at first," Naruto apologized, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Sasuke was sitting in the same position Naruto saw him in when he left. He took the bag back, searching through it. He came up with a small bronze key.

The door opened with a click. Naruto grabbed the bag back from Sasuke. "I got it."

"What did I say about coddling me?" Sasuke glared.

"Oops." Naruto smiled. "Let's go inside." He walked through the doorway first. Then, it hit him; he was in Sasuke's home.

Sasuke followed right behind him, closing the door. He walked in front of Naruto, crossing his arms. "You need to leave. I have to get to dance practice. It's bad enough that I already missed a couple hours today."

"You can't seriously be thinking of going to practice," Naruto said, mouth agape. Did he not listen to a single word the nurse said?

"I am. Why wouldn't I? I'm fine now."

"You need to recover. I'll call your instructor and let him know you're not coming in for a couple days."

Sasuke scoffed. "You're crazy. I'm not letting you do that."

"C'mon, give me your phone. I'll call while you get comfortable." Naruto held his hand out.

"No. I'm going," Sasuke said. "I need to. I can't miss practice"

"Why?"

"Why?" Sasuke repeated, taken a bit off guard. "Because I have to. I'm going to get changed and then you're going to move out of the way and let me go."

Naruto watched Sasuke walk back towards a door. He went in and shut it after himself.

_That's probably his bedroom... Okay think Naruto. Mr.Hatake's number is probably in his phone._

Naruto rifled through the bag. A black Iphone rested at the bottom. He picked it up and clicked the on button. Sasuke's lockscreen, a photo of sheet music, lit up. Naruto pressed the home button. Right away he was met with a pop up for entering a passcode.

_I should've known. Okay next idea._

Naruto put Sasuke's phone back in the bag and pulled out his own. He looked up the dance studio. He clicked on the website associated with it. There it was on the front page—a phone number.

Naruto looked at the door. It was still closed. Keeping an eye on it, he dialed the number.

_Pick up pick up pick up._

"This is On The Beat. How can I help you?"

"I need to speak with one of the dance teachers."

"Anything you need to report to them can be said to me. I will relay the message back to them."

"Great. I wanted to let Mr.Hatake know that one of his students won't be coming in for a little bit." Naruto held his breath while the line went quiet.

"Which student?"

"Sasuke Uchiha." Another pause on the other end.

"For how long?"

"Uhhhhh... probably a week or so." He went with the long end of the nurse's estimate. Sasuke needed a break, even if he didn't think so himself.

"Alright. What's your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Ok. I'll let Mr.Hatake know you called. Have a good day and tell Sasuke I hope he feels better soon."

"I will. Thank you." Naruto hung up. A few moments after the call ended, Sasuke came out of his room in the outfit Naruto saw him in at the practice he watched.

"I'm going to practice now." Sasuke moved towards the front door. Naruto backed up until he was standing in the middle. He stretched his arms across the frame.

"Actually you're not. The receptionist says she hopes you feel better, though."

"You called the studio?! What the hell, Naruto," Sasuke growled. "I said I was going to practice when I got changed."

"Too late. They know you don't feel well. Even if you go, they'll send you home," Naruto said triumphantly. "You need to listen to what the nurse told you. If you don't, you'll be out for even longer next time."

Sasuke grumbled, taking a seat on the couch. Naruto looked around. There wasn't much in terms of furniture. There was the couch that Sasuke was on, a small table, and a TV on the ground. Naruto frowned. Looking around for just a minute it was pretty evident that Sasuke didn't have much.

"What's your favorite meal?" Naruto asked, looking over to where Sasuke grumpily sat. He didn't answer at first.

"Don't ignore me, or I'll be forced to get it out of you."

"Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?"

Naruto walked over and sat next to Sasuke, wiggling his hands in the air. "I don't think you wanna challenge me."

"You won't get it out of me. I guarantee that," Sasuke said in a cocky tone.

Naruto shrugged. "You've left me no choice." He surged forward, not giving Sasuke time to anticipate what was coming. He tickled his sides first. The sides always got someone to crack.

Sasuke bit his lip. Naruto saw him trying to resist the natural urge to laugh and went even more intensely. He moved from his sides to all over his stomach to under his arms. Sasuke was holding himself together better than he thought, but he could still sense him struggling.

"Tell me what it is or I'm not gonna stop."

"N-No!" Sasuke squirmed on the couch. He swatted at Naruto's hand, but Naruto kept going. He wouldn't stop. Sasuke wanted to do things the hard way? He would give him the hard way.

"You're cornered on the couch. This is going to keep going until you tell me."

Sasuke squirmed some more, trying to get out of Naruto's reach. Naruto chuckled. It was a pointless effort. There was only so far he could wriggle back. Naruto moved to Sasuke's neck, which he learned was the raven's most sensitive spot.

"S-Stop!" He spit out the word, bunching his neck up. "That's not fair!"

"Anywhere is fair game."

"Ok! Ok! Fine, I'll tell you! Just stop!" Sasuke flailed around. Naruto lifted his fingers off of Sasuke.

"So what is it?"

"Okaka onigiri rice balls," Sasuke said, panting.

"See, that wasn't so hard." Naruto got off the couch, giving Sasuke room to spread out from the crouched position he was in. He ventured deeper into the apartment, looking for the kitchen.

"No! Get back here."

Naruto stumbled into a room so messy he couldn't tell what it was right away. The only clear area was the floor. The sink was beyond full; piled high with various plates, cups, and silverware. Anything that didn't fit in the sink took over the counter space. Some of the plates were balanced precariously on the edge, about to fall at any minute.

"I said get back-" Sasuke said, catching up to Naruto.

"Why is it so messy?" Naruto frowned. Sasuke looked away, embarrassed.

"I don't have time during the week with all the hours I spend at the studio."

Naruto walked over to the fridge and opened it. There wasn't much inside but a milk carton, a bag of grapes, and a carton of eggs. Naruto picked up the milk carton, looking at the expiration date.

"This expired weeks ago. When's the last time you went grocery shopping?"

"Don't remember." Sasuke took the milk carton back. "It's fine. The eggs are still good."

 _How can he think any of this is okay?_ Naruto thought to himself, watching Sasuke fiddle with the milk. _This isn't anyway to live._

Naruto shook his head. "This isn't fine. You need food that is actually safe to eat. I'm going to go grocery shopping for you."

"That's not necessary," Sasuke said. "You should be leaving, not going out and filling my fridge."

"Well, you surely aren't doing it so I'm going to." Naruto headed out of the kitchen and towards the door. Sasuke followed him, protesting.

"No. Just go home."

"I'll be back in about an hour." Naruto walked out the door, refusing to give Sasuke any more opportunities to refuse.

******

Naruto didn't know where the closest grocery store was, so he drove to the one he normally went to. It was a little out of the way, but at least it was a place he was familiar with. When he got inside, he wasn't sure where to start first. Sasuke was in need of a million different things.

 _I guess I'll start with what I need for his favorite food_ , Naruto thought while wandering to where the rice was. He grabbed a bag of rice and placed it in his shopping cart.

_Next is the soy sauce._

On his way over to where the soy sauce was, Naruto felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, confused.

"Naruto? Weird seeing you here!" Ino said in a perky tone, smiling. She had a shopping basket hanging on her arm.

"A grocery store is a pretty common place."

"Right, right," Ino mused. "How are you doing?" She rubbed her lips together while staring at Naruto.

"I'm doing good. I should probably go finish getting-"

"Aweeee wait a second. We just started talking." Ino rested her hand on Naruto's wrist. "I saw what happened to Sasuke. Poor thing."

Naruto got a bad feeling from how she was bringing Sasuke up. It didn't seem genuine whatsoever. In fact, he sensed a bit of delight in her voice.

"Yeah. He needs to take better care of himself."

"He does. Wouldn't want him to lose his role in Swan Lake," Ino said in mock horror. "You two are pretty close, yeah? How has he been doing?" Another fake smile.

"Fine. He'll be back to performing in no time," Naruto said confidently. "He would've been back at practice today if he could help it."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"He doesn't want to miss a day."

"How sweet. Anyways, enough about Sasuke. How about you? Any plans tonight?" Ino asked, keeping her fingers on Naruto.

"Actually, yeah." Naruto's night would consist of watching of Sasuke and making sure he was resting. Though, he wasn't going to disclose that to Ino. "So I should probably get going."

Ino pouted. "If you must. We'll have to meet up one of these days." She finally took her hand away. "See you around." She winked, walking off towards the bakery.

******

"I'm back, let me in." Naruto knocked on the door to Sasuke's apartment. His arms were full with plastic bags. He had so many that some were condemned to lay on the ground. When the door remained shut, Naruto knocked again.

"Sasuke open up. I'm gonna drop these if you don't."

The lock clicked. Sasuke greeted him. Naruto looked at his clothes. He had changed into a loose t-shirt and sweatpants.

"You're so dramatic. Jeez, did you buy the whole store?"

"Nope. I bought you what you needed."

When Sasuke bent down to grab the bags on the floor, Naruto stopped him.

"I got it."

"I can handle picking up a few bags." Sasuke rolled his eyes, going back to picking up the bags. He grabbed a couple and went back inside. "I'll pay you back for everything you got. How much was it?"

"You don't have to pay me back." Naruto walked inside and set the bags on the kitchen table.

"Yes I do. This looks like it cost a lot," Sasuke said, watching Naruto unpack the groceries.

"No. You can repay me another way though." Naruto placed a package of water bottles in the fridge. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"How?"

"By eating the dinner I make you." Naruto smiled. "Even if it's bad."

"What if it's the worst thing I've eaten?"

"You gotta."

"Fine. Let's hope you're a better cook than you are at other stuff."

Turns out, Naruto _was_ a pretty good cook. Either that, or Sasuke's dish wasn't that overly complex. The rice balls turned out decently, if he did say so himself. While he rolled the rice out, he caught Sasuke watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"You better have washed your hands before you started."

"Of course I did," Naruto said, looking over. "I'm not gross." He took rice into his hands and made a midsize ball. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Here is fine."

The rice balls only took a couple minutes from start to finish. Naruto brought them over to Sasuke on a plate.

"What do you want to drink with it?"

"Water."

"Good thing you now have plenty of that." Naruto went back to the kitchen and poured Sasuke a glass of water. When he returned to where Sasuke was sitting, he saw him holding out a rice ball.

"I feel weird eating alone. Eat with me."

Naruto sat down next to Sasuke on the couch. They were sitting pretty close together. Naruto was shocked that Sasuke didn't move away when he joined him. He kept his hand extended out; rice ball on his palm.

Naruto grabbed the food. "I've never had these before."

Sasuke looked mildly offended. "What? What do you usually eat?"

"Uhhhh ramen, mostly."

Sasuke ate one of the rice balls. "Ramen is good, but you should expand your taste. You can't always eat ramen."

"Says the guy who had expired milk in his fridge until I showed up."

Then the most beautiful thing happened; Sasuke laughed. His lips twisted into a smile. It stretched across his face, going from one corner of his mouth to the other. His eyelids fluttered closed for a brief moment before opening again. His shoulders shook up and down slightly.

Naruto wished he captured the moment when it was over. Sasuke took a sip of his water, eyeing Naruto.

"You still haven't tried it."

"Oh, right." Sasuke's laugh had distracted him. He took a bite. "It's not that bad. But I also don't know what it's supposed to taste like."

"It's pretty good." Sasuke started on his second one. "Not bad for your first attempt."

"I haven't told you, but I have a culinary degree," Naruto joked.

"Oh I'm sure," Sasuke replied sarcastically. "And you were best in your class too, right?"

"Ding ding ding you're a winner. How did you know?"

"It's that obvious." Sasuke glanced out the window. Naruto followed his gaze. The sky was a fiery orange. Sunset was here and in soon it would be pitch black and night time.

Night.

Now that he was thinking about it, Naruto wasn't sure what he was going to do about nights. He planned to look after Sasuke consistently, and that meant being at his apartment 24/7; including during the late hours of the day. While that was fine, the sleeping arrangement could be... tricky.

_He probably won't want to share a bed with me. That's understandable. Besides, it's not like we're that close anyways..._

"How about we watch a movie while we finish eating?" Naruto snapped out of his thoughts. Sasuke shrugged.

"Fine by me." He turned the TV on, scrolling through the channels. "I don't know what's gonna be on though."

"Pick whatever you want."

"Hm." Sasuke kept scrolling. He stopped on Ghostbusters. "I guess it's appropriate since Halloween is next month." He set the remote down.

About thirty minutes into the movie, Naruto felt something on his shoulder. He looked over. Sasuke was slumped against him, eyes closed.

 _Awe he fell asleep_ , Naruto thought with a smile. Sasuke looked much more peaceful than when he was awake.

Making sure he was being careful, Naruto slid out from under Sasuke.

_Should I leave him here or take him to his room?_

Naruto wasn't sure. On one hand, he didn't want to possibly disturb Sasuke and have him be alarmed when he woke up to be in Naruto's arms. On the other hand, Naruto didn't want him sleeping on the couch. While sitting on the couch was fine, sleeping all night there seemed uncomfortable.

Naruto went with the first option. He hoisted Sasuke up so the dancer was pressed against him. Sasuke's head rested in the crook of his neck. It took some adjusting, but Naruto eventually got Sasuke securely in his arms. With slow and steady steps, he walked to the the door he assumed the bed was beyond.

The room was cloaked in darkness. Naruto couldn't find the light switch. Luckily, the bed sat in the middle of the room and was easy to make out by its large outline. He walked over to the bed and laid Sasuke down, praying he wouldn't wake. He heard no indication of that being the case, so he placed blankets on top of Sasuke.

When he was finished covering him, Naruto closed the door and walked out of the room. He had work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Naruto taking care of Sasuke because it's so domestic and cute. Also I'm sorry for the long chapter. This is my longest to date in this fic oops I just had a lot to say I guess. Their first day together is a big deal!!


	18. Compromise

When Sasuke woke up the next morning, he was pleased to see that he was swathed in a familiar pile of blankets and not a thin hospital sheet. He stretched, an arm going over his head, as he looked around. He was in his room. His small (or cozy, in kinder words) room.

The course of the previous day came rushing back to him while he laid in bed; Naruto making him dinner, Naruto going to get him food, Naruto being at his apartment in general. Thinking about it made his brain hurt. He wasn't sure if it had actually happened. Naruto being in his apartment didn't seem like something he would allow.

_Maybe I hit my head so hard on the stage that I fell into a coma._

Sasuke rolled out of bed. Stretching once more, he walked out of his room and to the kitchen. When he rounded the corner, he nearly jumped back in shock. What he was standing in didn't look like like his kitchen, except for the pale walls. The counters were spotless, the sink was empty, and the table was clear of an overflow of plates. If he wasn't confused before, he was even more thoroughly lost.

He walked to his fridge and opened it. The shelves were the most full he had ever seen them. He had no idea of what food he should grab. There were so many choices he was left to stare at the fridge in awe. He closed the door and walked out to the rest of the apartment to see if anything else was different.

Laying on the couch was Naruto. He was covered in one of the blankets Sasuke kept draped over the back of the couch. His mouth was opened slightly while his eyes were fastened shut. Sasuke cursed loudly upon seeing his curled up form.

_So it was true. Naruto spent the entire day with me yesterday._

Naruto sleepily opened his eyes. When Sasuke made eye contact with him, he sat up quickly. A smile replaced his tired expression. He threw the blanket off, standing up.

"Sorry for using one of your spare blankets, I got cold. Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. My kitchen looks... weird," Sasuke said, rubbing his arm.

"Weird? How so?"

"Well," Sasuke started. "When I walked into it, it was clean. Like, really clean. There wasn't a single thing out of place. The only time it was _that_ pristine was when I first moved here."

"I'm glad you liked it. It took awhile to get straightened out." Naruto yawned. He looked over to the window. "It's pretty early wow."

Sasuke was in disbelief. Naruto had cleaned his kitchen from head to toe and he acted like it was no big deal. Sasuke couldn't figure him out. He had no reason to do any of this. The guy barely knew him outside of his shows and yet here he was being attentive and making sure he was well taken care of, despite Sasuke's many objections.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Naruto asked, running a hand through his mess of blonde spikes. "I made sure to get a lot yesterday so you have options. Name it and I probably bought it."

"Toast is fine."

"You need more then just toast." Naruto walked back into the kitchen. Sasuke turned to stop him, but halted himself. With how Naruto had acted so far, he knew he wouldn't give up. It wasn't often Sasuke found someone who could match his stubbornness.

The smell of batter drifted from the kitchen out to where he sat on the couch. Instantly he was reminded of his childhood. The last time he had eaten pancakes, he was a young child. It was a bittersweet moment. He started to fall into past memories when Naruto called out.

"Go lay down in bed."

"Why?" It sounded like a strange request to Sasuke.

"It's a surprise."

"Surprise? What kind of surprise involves laying down in my bed?"

"You'll see," Naruto said vaguely. Sasuke sighed. He was comfortable where he was.

"Get going. I'm almost done," Naruto called out over the sizzling now coming from the kitchen.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stood up. He walked into his room and laid down in his bed.

 _This is so stupid. There's no reason I should have to be in bed for this. I should kick Naruto out for the dumb idea_ , Sasuke grumpily thought, crossing his arms. He waited in the same annoyed position until he heard footsteps drawing closer to his room.

"Sorry it took so long." Naruto slowly made his way through the door. Sasuke looked over to him, his eyes widening in shock.

_Is that-_

"I'm sorry if anything isn't cooked exactly how you like it." Naruto set down a tray piled high with food on Sasuke's lap. Everything was separated into neat plates. One held a stack of pancakes dotted with chocolate chips. A pile of scrambled eggs sat near the pancakes. Strips of bacon laid in hunger inducing rows, steam rising up towards Sasuke's nose. Lightly buttered toast, the last of all the food, was the closest to him. A glass of orange juice sloshed back and forth. The smells mingled with each other, making Sasuke's mouth water.

"Now you're getting breakfast in bed. You're welcome." Naruto grinned. "Try it."

Sasuke wasn't sure where to start. His normal meals weren't even half of this. He reached for a piece of toast instinctively. Naruto shook his head.

"Oh c'mon. That's the most boring part. You should start with the pancakes."

"I think you're just trying to fatten me up," Sasuke said, picking up the fork. He took a bite. The warm chocolate chips nearly melted in his mouth. The pancake itself was soft and fluffy.

"That wasn't my intention, but you could use it. You're so skinny."

Sasuke went for another bite. "I'm gonna have to work out so much after this." He had to admit; it was insanely good. As much as he wanted to stop, he couldn't resist going back for more. He was quite filled up by the time he was done with the pancakes. He nibbled on the toast afterwards.

"How is it?"

"It's... good." Sasuke looked over to Naruto; whose eyes practically lit up.

"Really?! Good! I was nervous. I don't make stuff like this a lot."

"You have ramen for breakfast too?" Sasuke snickered. He was joking, but the look on Naruto's face said he was onto something.

"That's vile. You ever heard of cereal?"

"I have cereal sometimes. That doesn't involve cooking though."

Sasuke ate a piece of bacon that was nice and crispy; just how he liked it. He only ate a couple pieces. Any more and he was certain he would explode. He washed down the large breakfast with the orange juice. He handed the tray back to Naruto.

"Thanks for breakfast. Next time, just toast is fine."

Naruto shook his head. "Only you would rather have plain toast than all this." He carried the tray out of the room.

Now that his empty stomach was filled, Sasuke threw the blankets off for a second time that day and headed to the shower. He grabbed a towel from the closet and went inside the bathroom. He was so used to being alone in his apartment that he forgot to lock the door behind him. Disregarding the lock, Sasuke stripped himself free of his clothes and let the water heat up. Steam curled around his body, making it foggy in the small bathroom.

Sasuke climbed into the shower. The second the water hit his skin, he felt much less tense. Hot showers had a way of loosening his body up that could only be done by the pouring stream of water. He wasn't sure how long he was immersed, but he lost count after a couple of minutes. While Sasuke was covering his skin with ocean scented body wash, the door clicked open.

Sasuke shrunk to the back of the shower. He was thankful for the curtain that hung down; shielding him from being exposed.

"Naruto what the hell. I'm clearly in here!"

"Oh shit, sorry. I didn't hear the water running," Naruto exclaimed, quickly shutting the door. His footsteps receded until Sasuke could no longer hear them. He sighed and turned the water off. It was pretty hard to enjoy his peaceful shower retreat when it was interrupted by his clueless caretaker. He stepped out of the shower and dried off.

In his towel, he walked back to his room. He shut the door, this time making sure that the lock was turned. He threw his towel off once it was secured. Sasuke changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. There was no point in putting exceptional effort into his outfit. Even if he wanted to leave the house, Naruto would try to get him to stay resting for as long as possible. He wasn't sure why. He was clearly fine.

As Sasuke was putting on a new pair of socks, he heard his phone ring. He glanced over to the bedside table where his phone was still plugged into its charger. He unplugged it and answered, not caring enough to glance at the caller ID before picking up.

"Who's this?"

"You know who it is." Mr.Hatake's voice came in over the phone. "I wanted to see how you were doing. I tried to see you at the hospital, but they wouldn't let me back."

 _How the hell did Naruto get back then?_ Sasuke wondered. If Mr.Hatake wasn't allowed back, then Naruto certainly wouldn't be either.

"I'm doing fine. More importantly, I have a question for you." Sasuke didn't feel like elaborating on his health. He was sick enough of Naruto hovering over him. He didn't need his dance teacher to do the same.

"What?"

"At the show. The one I collapsed at," He clarified. "Was there a reporter there?" Nerves knotted in his stomach while he waited for a response.

"Hmmm. I don't think so, why?"

A wave of relief washed over Sasuke. "Ino told me there was one."

"I doubt there was. If there was, I didn't see them."

"Good. Good," Sasuke mused. He should've known it was just another attempted sabotage by his rival. Doing stuff like that wasn't out of the ordinary for Ino.

"This is why I tell you that you gotta take breaks, superstar. Your body can't handle all the strain you're putting on it," Mr.Hatake said, circling back to the incident. "Next time you won't be so lucky. I know you don't like when I lecture about taking care of yourself, but there's a reason I do it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"I'm serious. Don't brush me off. I know you don't care about your health, but I do. Not to mention that as your teacher, I have a responsibility for your well-being."

"I'm fine now. Obviously I'm still not passed out so I don't see the big deal."

"The big deal is that this can very well happen again. It baffles me that you don't see any issues with your attitude about this. Even after passing out on stage in front of a crowd, you still don't think there's a problem. Okay, that settles it. I'm going to come over and see how you're doing."

"No!" Sasuke shouted. "Don't. I'm fine."

"The only way I won't come over is if you promise to start doing better with managing your health. It's up to you."

Sasuke groaned loudly. "Fine. I'll try to start." If it was the only way to keep one less person out of his hair, so be it. He would try (keyword; _try_ ) to do better.

"Good. If I find out you aren't taking care of yourself, I'll keep you in the ensemble forever. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

Though he couldn't see him, Sasuke knew his teacher was smiling. "I'll call back later. Have a good rest of your day." With that, he hung up.

Sasuke threw his phone onto his bed. He didn't want any other calls. He was content leaving his phone hidden away in the massive heap of blankets while he forgot it existed. Walking out of his room, he headed to the couch.

"Sorry again for walking in on you." Naruto came out of the kitchen.

"It's fine. It's not like you saw anything anyways." Sasuke dismissed him. He didn't want to relive this morning. He looked over to Naruto who had a light blush coloring his cheeks.

"Right." He sat down next to Sasuke. "What would you like to do today?"

"There's not much to do in my apartment. It's just usually for sleeping, so possibilities for entertainment are low." Sasuke glanced at his TV.

"You should really get a stand for that thing."

"If I had mo-" Sasuke started. "Yeah. I should."

"I would suggest we go out and look for one, but you should be resting."

Sasuke perked up. A chance to leave the house? Sounded fine by him.

"We could go do that. It hasn't even been that long and I'm already so bored." He flopped across the couch.

"All this inactivity is new to you, of course you are," Naruto said. "Fine. We can go, but I'm in charge of carrying the stand out to the car."

******

To find a perfect TV stand, Naruto drove Sasuke to what he claimed 'would have something for sure'. That's how he and Naruto ended up in a crowded Target parking lot filled with tired parents and rambunctious children. While they were walking up the entrance of the store, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm roughly and pulled him.

"Excuse you," Sasuke hissed, slapping Naruto's hand away.

"You were going to run into those kids." Naruto pointed at a pair of giggling twins who ran full speed towards the front of the building. "I don't think their parents would've appreciated that."

"They should've watched where they were going," Sasuke grumbled. It wasn't his fault that oblivious children didn't know how to notice their surroundings.

Inside the store, Naruto and Sasuke headed back towards the furniture aisles. Out of all the areas of the store, this was one of the less occupied ones.

"There's a good four or five to choose from. Which one do you like?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked to where he was referring. Entertainment centers in brown, black, and white stood in front of him. He stared at all of them. Not long into trying to decide, his eyes wandered down to the price stickers. All of them were out of his budget.

 _This is why I shop at Walmart_ , Sasuke bitterly remarked to himself. He bit his lip. There was no good way to bring up that he couldn't afford not even the cheapest one. He looked at Naruto, who was intently staring at a deep brown entertainment center.

"How about this one?"

"I, er, don't know."

"It's okay. You don't have to go with this one just because I suggested it. Feel free to pick any that you want," Naruto said with a laugh. "That white one by you looks pretty promising too."

"I should've said something before, but..."

"Is this about how much it costs? I'm gonna be getting it for you so it doesn't matter," Naruto said.

It scared Sasuke that Naruto knew exactly what was eating away at his mind. "No. I can't let you do that. You already bought my groceries for me, remember? You're starting to feel like my sugar daddy."

Naruto's eyes widened upon hearing Sasuke's joke. "How about you pay for half?"

"I guess that works." Sasuke felt a little better that he was at least paying for part of it rather than none at all. "I'll go with this one." He motioned to the black midsize one. Naruto came over and slid it out of the shelf and into his arms.

"Sounds good. Anything else you need to get?"

Sasuke shook his head. "That's it." He looked down the aisle. Sitting in a stack was a pile of neatly folded blankets.

Naruto walked over and picked a pale blue one up. "You want this? We can get one too."

"It's fine. Put it back." Sasuke didn't realize that Naruto was paying attention to where he directed his attention. Naruto smiled, keeping the blanket in his arms.

"Let's go pay."

"But you still have the blanket."

"Do I? I don't think so." Naruto walked off towards the checkout, blanket dangling down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As one of my readers pointed out, it's been one month of my fic! That's crazy. It feels much shorter and much longer at the same time. Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was on the longer side and I got super busy. Hopefully I can go back to being consistent. I always feel anxious when I haven't posted a chapter in a bit haha. Reading back this chapter was so sweet. Naruto making Sasuke breakfast in bed is legit the sweetest thing ever w o w I truly love domestic narusasu with my whole heart.


	19. Nightmare

The next couple of days with Sasuke were fairly standard. As standard as taking care of your crush who always seemed to despise you a little bit could be. Sasuke hung around the apartment, mostly keeping his distance from Naruto, while lounging around. Naruto gave him the space he seemed to desire, but couldn't help take small peeks from time to time. He saw Sasuke do things from practicing dance moves to reading a book.

Naruto could tell that the dancer was antsy. His restlessness had only gotten worse since the initial day of being confined to his apartment. Naruto tried to offer outings that they could go on, but Sasuke didn't find them interesting enough.

"A trip to the grocery store? What am I on? A fifth grade field trip? No thanks." Sasuke rolled his eyes at one of Naruto's suggestions. He went back to his room and shut the door firmly behind him.

Since Sasuke wasn't pleased with what he came up with, he found stuff to do around the apartment when Sasuke allowed him to spend time with him. Through elaborate internet searching, Naruto found a bunch of different things that they could do while being inside. Although a lot of them required more than two people.

"We can't play Clue. It's only us and I don't have a physical copy of the board game," Sasuke said. "I don't even remember the last time I played an actual board game. It's been awhile."

"Hmmmm. How about Never Have I Ever? That can be a two player game."

"Never Have I Ever? What's that?" Sasuke tilted his head in confusion. Naruto returned his look with equal bewilderment.

"You've never heard of it? Have you never went to a party before?"

"Not that many," Sasuke admitted. "They aren't really fun to me. I'd rather be alone."

"But free alcohol." Naruto pointed out. He was certainly no stranger to the party scene. During his college years, he was known to party more than study. While Sakura and Shikamaru used their time to prepare for tests, Lee, Kiba, and Naruto went out to whatever party was happening that night and drank until they were slumped over on some random person's couch. Sasuke gave a look of distaste.

"It's not worth having to interact with clumsy drunks."

"Heyyyy it's not that bad." Naruto took some offense. He was definitely one of the clumsy drunks Sasuke was referencing. "Anyways, here's how you play. You put up both your hands. Someone says something they've never done. If you've done it, you have to put a finger down. Whoever still has fingers up at the end wins. Or, we could play the drinking version. It's up to you." Naruto added with a coy smile. He was down to play either.

Sasuke clasped his hands together and went silent for a moment. "We can do the first one."

"Alright. First one it is." Naruto crawled off the couch and sat on the floor crisscrossed. "Come sit down here."

"Is that a rule in the game? We have to sit on the floor like animals?" Sasuke asked, a snarky inflection in his tone.

"It's easier if we're across from each other."

Sasuke let out an exaggerated groan and left the couch to join Naruto on the floor. Naruto held up both his hands.

"You can go first since you're new to this."

Sasuke lifted his hands so all ten fingers pointed in the air. "Uhhhhh Never have I ever..." He paused. "had a pet before."

Naruto put down a finger. "You've never had a pet?!" To think anyone hadn't ever had an animal was absurd to him. Growing up, he had a bunch of different animals. His favorite were the frogs that he owned for a short period of time. His family always thought they were slimy and gross, but he liked them.

"Nope," Sasuke said.

"Not even a hamster? A gerbil? A guinea pig?" Naruto couldn't help but feel like Sasuke was messing around. Having an animal was a rite of passage.

"Nope."

"That's sad." Naruto frowned. "You should get one now to make up for the lost years."

Sasuke gave him a look like he was crazy. "With how busy I am? I don't think so. Plus pets are dirty and unsanitary."

"Get a fish. They're pretty low maintenance."

"Yeah, and boring. Your turn."

Naruto hummed to himself while thinking of something. He had done a lot. It was challenging to come up with stuff he hadn't done.

"Never have I ever skydived."

Sasuke didn't put down a finger. "Cop out. Most people haven't done that."

"Some have. Your turn."

The next couple of rounds went by rather smoothly. Naruto learned that unlike him, Sasuke hadn't done much. He hadn't been to Disney World, ice skated, seen Star Wars, or ate pie. As they got further into the game, the questions became less innocent.

"Never have I ever gotten arrested," Sasuke said confidently. Naruto inhaled sharply and put a finger down.

"What?! What happened?" Sasuke asked, his mouth hanging open.

"The first time, the second, or the third?"

Sasuke's mouth remained agape. "Three times? Jesus Christ. I didn't know a criminal was supervising me."

Naruto nervously laughed. "I had some wild times when I was younger, which carried over into college. Nothing too bad though, don't worry. I'm not a murderer or anything."

"If those are just your arrests, I can only imagine what you _haven't_ been caught for."

Naruto placed a finger to his lips and made a 'sh' sound. "No one needs to know that."

"Never have I... ever had sex in public." A smirk slowly spread across Naruto's lips as he asked the question. For the first time in the course of the game, Sasuke was flustered. His pale cheeks turned a cherry red. He looked away. No fingers went down.

"You've never...?"

"Neither have you, so you can't say anything," Sasuke shot back.

"Actually I have. I just wanted to see about you."

"That's not fair!" Sasuke yelled, his blush deepening. "That is definitely not allowed."

 _He's so cute when he's all embarrassed_ , Naruto thought to himself with a smile.

"Don't smile at me like that. Not everyone is all corrupted like you." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're just a weirdo."

"I don't think having sex in public is that weird. You should try it some time." Naruto winked. Sasuke let out a groan.

"No thanks. Anyways, for a much needed change in subject matter. Never have I ever done drugs."

Naruto put a finger down. "Hasn't everyone done drugs before?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Otherwise I wouldn't have said it."

"What _have_ you done?" Naruto said, astounded. Most people he talked to had done at least a good amount of the things he mentioned. "What about drinking? Have you done that before?"

Sasuke's flushed cheeks made a resurgence. "You can only ask in the form of the game."

"I can't. I've drank... many times so I can't say never have I ever. Unless you want me to break rules again."

"I guess you'll never know." Sasuke shrugged.

"Ugh. Never have I ever taken eleven shots in one hour."

Sasuke's fingers didn't waver. "Doesn't mean I never drank. Just means I haven't done that. Nice try, though."

"I'll get you one of these times," Naruto said, waggling his left index finger.

"Sure you will," Sasuke said dryly. "Never have I ever cheated."

"Cheated on what? A test?"

"No. On a girlfriend, or, er, boyfriend."

Naruto didn't put a finger down. "Wow. You must think I'm incredibly awful."

"I never said that. I just wondered if you have."

"No. I wouldn't do that." Naruto was slightly offended that Sasuke would even suspect him of such a heinous thing. If anything, he was too loyal. Whenever he had feelings for someone, he would stick by them even if they weren't treating him right. One of his many faults. "Never have I ever had sex three times in one day."

"What is with you and sex questions?" Sasuke said, his fingers not moving. "This is the second one."

"I can ask more."

"No thanks. I think I'm gonna win the game." He pointed to Naruto's hand. Naruto only had one finger remaining in the air; the pinkie on his left hand. Sasuke still had his entire right hand.

"You never know. Come up with a something good."

Sasuke rubbed his chin with his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Alright. Never have I ever..." He paused.

"What will it be? Choose wisely." Naruto added when Sasuke stayed quiet.

"Never have I ever had blonde hair."

"WHAT?! THAT DOESN'T COUNT!" Naruto shouted angrily. "Choose something else!"

Sasuke grinned. "Nope. That's the final one. Put that finger down." His smugness made Naruto even more upset.

"That's such a cheap shot." He lowered his pinkie. All of his fingers were pressed into his palms. Sasuke looked satisfied.

"I won though, didn't I?"

"If you consider that winning," Naruto mumbled under his breath. "Next time, no bullshit prompts like that."

Sasuke stood up from the crouched position he was in on the floor. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see. I'm going to go to bed. Have a good night." He walked off towards his bedroom. Naruto watched the door close behind him.

After Sasuke was shut away in his room, Naruto walked over to the couch and plopped down. The digital clock indicated that it was 12:05 in the morning. He had gotten so caught up in the game with Sasuke that his grasp on time slipped away. Now that he was sitting there by himself, he was starting to feel the effects of the late hours. Before he had a chance to shift to a more comfortable position, his eyes began slowly blinking closed.

******

Naruto awoke to loud yells. He glanced over at the clock as soon as he gained consciousness. A couple hours passed since he last checked. The room was still covered in darkness. Naruto jumped up from the couch and headed towards the source of the noise. Pressing his ear to the door to Sasuke's room, he learned that it was coming from within. Once he figured that out, the flung the door open and burst into the room.

Sasuke was thrashing about; the blanket over him nearly falling onto the ground. His eyes were squeezed shut as if it was painful to keep them that way. The most awful noise was ripping from his throat. It was a loud, untamed, scream like he was in severe pain and fear. His hands tried to clutch the edge of the blanket, but the sheet kept slipping out of his hands.

"Sasuke, wake up. Wake up." Naruto climbed onto the bed and grabbed him by the shoulders. He shook him a bit to try to wake him, though his body was doing a pretty good job of shaking on its own accord. It took a couple seconds and a few rough shakes to get Sasuke back to reality. When his eyelids rapidly opened, he looked at Naruto like he had seen a ghost.

Naruto was certain that barely any air was filling his lungs with how shallow his breaths were. Even in the room where the only light came from the moon outside, Naruto could see that Sasuke's face was drenched in sweat. He looked like he ran a marathon before passing out in bed.

"What are you doing here?!" Sasuke yelled out, looking Naruto up and down. The entire sentence almost didn't make it out of his mouth with how winded he was.

Naruto lowered him onto the bed. Right away, he scooted back and clutched the blanket to his chest.

"Your screams woke me up." Naruto moved back to give him additional space.

"Sorry about waking you. I'm fine."

"I don't think screaming in your sleep constitutes as fine," Naruto said.

"It was just... a bad dream. That's all."

 _A bad dream? What would Sasuke's bad dreams look like?_ Naruto asked himself. Sasuke always seemed so cold and unbothered. He had no idea what could possibly give him a fright so bad it made him have a screaming fit.

"I'm sorry. You can tell me about it."

"No... it's okay. I'm glad it's over." Sasuke looked over to the window. "Sorry again for waking you."

"Its okay. I'm more worried about you," Naruto admitted. "You really can tell me if you need to. I know we aren't the closest, but that doesn't mean you have to keep everything a secret."

"Thanks... but it's fine. You can go back to sleeping." Sasuke laid back down and draped the blanket over his slack body.

Naruto didn't move at first. He sat there, desperately willing his mouth to form the words he wanted to. He wanted to rip down this metaphorical barrier between them and have the raven really open up to him. He wanted the two of them to have a close bond. He wanted Sasuke to be comfortable being vulnerable with him.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be in the cards for tonight. Sasuke made it clear that he was okay and wanted to resume being alone. Naruto rose from the bed with a defeated sigh.

"Sleep tight," Naruto murmured, closing the door behind him. As he started to walk back to the couch, he heard Sasuke call out.

"Naruto?"

Hearing Sasuke say his name was glorious. Thinking about it, he couldn't recall any other instances where he specifically spoke his name. His heart beat fast in his chest while he turned around and went back to the door.

"Yes?" Naruto said from outside the door.

"I know I said to go but uh... do you mind... coming back?"

By how he said it, Naruto could tell he was hesitant to ask. A wide smile broke out on Naruto's face. He wiped it away before going back into the room.

"Sure thing." He opened the door. Sasuke was facing him when he walked in. "What do you need?"

"I closed my eyes and right away I saw images from my nightmare. I'm... too scared to go back to sleep." Sasuke's usually strong voice had a tremor running throughout it.

"I'm sorry. I promise that whatever is in the nightmare can't hurt you. I'm here to watch over you," Naruto vowed. Sasuke still looked uneasy.

"Can you lay in bed with me?"

The shock on Naruto's face must've been quite apparent, because immediately Sasuke started to take back what he said.

"Never mind. Forget it. It was a stupid idea."

"No, no. It wasn't. I was taken aback. That's all." Naruto looked at the bed and slowly moved forward. As he slipped under the covers, he realized it was the closest him and Sasuke had been to date. Naruto praised the sky for being dark and hiding the intense blush he was sure was present on his cheeks by the scorching heat he felt rising on his face.

"I'll be here while you sleep. No need to be afraid."

Sasuke and him were facing each other. They were so close that Naruto could feel the stream of air coming out through Sasuke's nose. Sasuke weakly smiled.

"Wake me up if I start screaming." He turned away, facing the other direction.

"Will do." Naruto stared straight ahead. He could see the careful curve of Sasuke's back. He watched as Sasuke's breathing became more steady. From Naruto's estimate, it only took him a couple minutes to fall back asleep.

Naruto didn't want to fall asleep at first. He wanted to stay awake until the sky lightened and the birds chirped; making sure that Sasuke remained fast asleep and at peace. While that was his wish, his body had other ideas. He could feel himself growing more and more tired as the minutes dragged on. He was about to fade into slumber when Sasuke's body shifted so he was practically in Naruto's arms.

_Sasuke is in my arms. I repeat; Sasuke is in my arms._

The second Naruto felt Sasuke move, his heart rate skyrocketed. He was already caught off guard by Sasuke's request, but now this? It was like a strange fever dream.

Naruto wasn't sure what to do. If he moved his arms from out of under him, he could possibly wake up. He didn't want to be the reason Sasuke was disturbed, especially not after his awful dream. Though, if he kept his arms wrapped around Sasuke, he feared that the man would be alarmed when he eventually woke up.

Not to mention that Naruto didn't exactly mind Sasuke being this near to him. While the two of them never shared more than a brushing of hands on accident, Sasuke in his arms felt right. While toying with the implications of both keeping Sasuke close to him and moving so he was back to how he was before, Naruto fell asleep and was unable to make a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this chapter super late in my timezone. That is the dedication I have to this fic. The more I expand on their dynamic, the more I like it. Let me know your thoughts as always though! Poor Sasuke and his bad dreams :((


	20. The Note

With Naruto's assistance, Sasuke was nursed back to health in a week. As much as the blonde got on his nerves, he had to say that he didn't mind his company completely. Whenever Sasuke wanted to be alone (which was a lot), Naruto didn't push or prod him. He let him be while doing his own thing. Sasuke almost thought it was... nice.

Ever since Naruto forced Sasuke to have consistent meals, Sasuke felt a source of energy and strength that was new to him. He didn't feel as worn out and weary like he did at the end of most days. It was harder to fall asleep at night with energy leftover, but it was a small price to pay.

Sasuke was relieved when Naruto brought up returning to the studio. He thought that the man was going to keep him resting for as long as humanly possible. He was away from dancing for a week, but it seemed like much longer. He couldn't recall any other period in his life since he started that he had taken that much time off.

"You look much better than when you were in the hospital," Naruto pointed out while they were eating lunch on the couch. "Do you feel well enough to go back?"

Sasuke nodded. "I could've gone back the day after."

"We'll go with that," Naruto said sarcastically. "Get changed and after I'll drive you to the studio."

"I think I can handle driving myself."

"You've barely been out of the house all week. You don't need to take any chances," Naruto said. "Don't worry, you'll be on your own after that."

"It's really fine. I'll drive myself," Sasuke persisted. He was over being treated like he was unable to fend for himself. He and Naruto argued back and forth for a good five minutes before Sasuke put an end to it.

"I'm going to be late if this keeps up. I'll let you take me if you just shut up."

"Fine by me." Naruto smiled. "I'll be waiting in the car."

Sasuke got up from the couch and grumbled all the way back to his room. He didn't want to come to an agreement with Naruto, but the blonde didn't want to take no as an answer. Now, he was stuck being escorted like a kid on his first day of Kindergarten. With a disgruntled sigh, he shut his door and locked it behind him.

******

Naruto waited until Sasuke was in his room to take one last look around the apartment. He would miss it; the worn in couch, the minimal interior decorating, the spot where him and Sasuke usually talked.

His time of looking after Sasuke was over. After this, he would no longer be needed. He would return to his empty, lonely, house all by himself. Just thinking about it made his heart pang with longing. He liked being around Sasuke before, but now it was hard to imagine himself away from his side.

Of course he knew he couldn't go to the man and say ' _hey, is it okay if I stay over? I already miss you even though I haven't left yet._ ' No, he would have to hold his head high and act like he was fine. It wasn't the first time he had to conceal his true feelings. Especially not when it came to Sasuke.

Naruto left the apartment and gingerly closed the door behind him. The walk down to his car was eerily quiet. He picked up on every little noise around him more than he normally would. It was either that or marinate in his thoughts —he would rather take his chance with the first option.

It only took Sasuke a couple minutes to join Naruto in his car from when he eventually reached it himself. Sasuke threw his bag into the back and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Still no chance you'll let me drive myself?"

"Nope."

"I figured. Just thought I'd ask one last time." Sasuke ran the seat belt across his body. "You know how to get there from here?"

"No. That's what maps are for," Naruto said. He pulled up maps on his phone and typed the address of the studio in. "It says fifteen minutes. That sound right to you?"

"Yeah."

Naruto propped his phone up in front of him and began driving. He thought that once Sasuke joined him in the car, they would be talking and joking around like they had throughout the whole week. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Sasuke didn't say as much as a single word after their initial conversation. He kept quiet the whole way over to the studio, despite Naruto sneaking glances at him from time to time. Naruto made attempts to engage Sasuke, but they all fell flat.

"Are you looking forward to going back?"

A small murmur that Naruto couldn't tell if it was a yes or no.

"Did you have enough to eat? We can stop somewhere on the way."

A small noise even less distinguishable than the one prior.

"What do you think is going on in class right now?"

Nothing. Absolute silence.

Naruto would've been a complete idiot to not realize the tension in the atmosphere. He was smart enough to figure that out, but not smart enough to exactly discern why. He thought back to this morning.

_Let's see. This morning I made Sasuke breakfast. Then we ate together. After that, I cleaned up the dishes. Sasuke hung out in his room for a bit. He came out around lunch time and we ate together. Nothing out of the ordinary._

Naruto supposed it could've been because they were going from spending so much time together to virtually being strangers who see each other in passing. That would be awkward for anyone.

Or, it could've just been one of Sasuke's moods. Naruto knew he was prone to becoming moody and distant. Either way, the studio was approaching closely and their shared time was nearing its end.

"We're here. You might wanna grab your bag," Naruto said, turning the steering wheel as he pulled into the parking lot. Sasuke must've heard him, because he gradually moved so he was twisted around in the seat. He grabbed the bag and pulled it into his lap while Naruto found somewhere to park.

The lot was filled with so many cars that Naruto had trouble finding a spot. He hummed quietly while surveying the area.

"I think I finally found one," Naruto said aloud, aware Sasuke probably wasn't even paying attention. He pulled in next to a pickup truck and an SUV.

"You could've dropped me off at the front. You didn't have to park." Sasuke slipped the strap of his bag over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna walk you inside."

Sasuke shook his head rapidly. "Absolutely not. You drove me here. That was the compromise. It had nothing to do with going inside."

Naruto couldn't explain it. All he knew was that he didn't want to say bye to Sasuke right after this awkward car ride. He thought that maybe after he walked Sasuke in and the dancer was acquainted with his usual setting, things would be less awkward.

"I'm already out of the car."

"No you're not."

Naruto opened his door and hopped out onto the ground. Sasuke groaned loudly, following in his steps.

"Well you weren't a second ago. You're truly the most stubbo-"

"You're gonna be late. Let's go." Naruto shut the door and walked towards the building. He didn't hear Sasuke right away. It wasn't until he was nearly at the embossed front door that Sasuke's sneakers padded on the pavement.

"Wait up," Sasuke grumbled. He caught up to Naruto as he was about to open the door.

"I got it." Sasuke grabbed the handle, holding it open for Naruto.

Naruto accepted and walked through. He would've preferred to himself, but he already got his way twice. A third time was pushing it.

"Mr.Uchiha! It's nice to see you back." The receptionist from Naruto's first visit waved Sasuke over to her desk. Her eyes slowly landed on Naruto and her tone changed. "Oh... and you."

"Nice to see you too," Naruto said. He looked over to Sasuke. A bored look crossed his face. Though his expressions were subtle, Naruto was beginning to pick up on the slight differentiation in one mood of his to the next. When he was bored, Sasuke's lips rested in a straight line. His eyes were dull and emotionless. When he was annoyed, his eyebrows furrowed together and his mouth curved down. When he was happy (a much rarer sight), his eyes were bright and he was much more reactive.

"Sasuke would love to chat, but he really should be getting to class." Naruto tugged on Sasuke's arm. "Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Class has been going on for a couple of hours now. I should head on back."

"Alright. Your class is in room 4." The woman smiled warmly. "Glad that you're feeling better."

"Yeah, me too," Sasuke said. "Talk to you later." He walked down the hallway. Naruto, who still had a grip on his arm, was dragged along.

"You can let go now. She's out of sight."

"Right. Sorry." Naruto dropped his hand down to his side and followed Sasuke through the twists and turns of the studio. A familiar room loomed ahead.

"You can go now. You've driven me here, you've taken me to the literal room, I think I'm good." Sasuke turned to Naruto with an expression he couldn't read. From his best guess, it meant that Sasuke was irritated.

 _I guess I've overstayed my welcome_ , Naruto thought with a sad smile. He tried his best to look after Sasuke and be friendly with him, but it didn't seem to work. They were back at square one.

"Okay. I'll go. Have a good class," Naruto muttered. He walked away from Sasuke; about to turn the corner, when someone called out.

"Superstar! You're back, wow. It's great to see you."

Without meaning to, he halted and looked back. Mr.Hatake gave Sasuke a quick hug and ruffled his hair. Sasuke let out a groan and went to fix it.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Of course it was. It wouldn't be an official welcome back without some messing with you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. I'm here, aren't I?"

"You would've been here the second you were conscious again, if it was up to you," Mr.Hatake remarked. "So how are you really feeling? Have you been taking care of yourself like I said to?"

"I didn't have a choice. I was forced to because him." Sasuke motioned discreetly in Naruto's direction. If Naruto wasn't watching, he would've missed it for sure.

Mr.Hatake squinted at where Naruto was standing. "Who? It's kind've dark in this hallway."

"Naruto Uzumaki, sir." Naruto came closer, sheepishly rubbing his neck. "I took care of him all week."

He felt Mr.Hatake size him up, his stare going up and down. He braced for words of hostility.

"You look familiar."

"Well, it's probably because-"

"Right," Mr.Hatake cut him off. "You're that kid I ran into who showed up at the practice."

 _I wish that wasn't how he remembered me_ , Naruto thought while recalling the memory. It wasn't a very positive impression. He had made a fool out of himself in front of Sasuke's entire ballet class.

"Yeah... that's me."

"Well, it was a nice thing to do."

"Interrupt the class? No, I still, er, feel bad about that..."

"No. I mean looking after Sasuke," Mr.Hatake said. "Not that."

"Oh." Naruto turned bright red. "It was no problem. Sasuke was easy to care for."

"You sure we're talking about the same Sasuke?" Mr.Hatake asked incredulously. "Not the headstrong, stubborn-"

"I'm right here." Sasuke glared back and forth at Mr.Hatake and Naruto. "I can hear everything you're saying."

"Of course you can. I never doubted your hearing ability. Just your ability to take what I say and apply it," Mr.Hatake said. "Anyways, thanks for taking care of Sasuke again, Naruto."

"Like I said, no problem." Naruto smiled at the praise. "Have a good class, both of you." He turned around and re-traced his steps till he was back at the turn of the corner again. He heard Mr.Hatake say something about a 'good kid'. His smile lasted all the way back to his car.

******

Practice was more exhausting than Sasuke anticipated. Who would've guessed that after being out of commission for a little, his body would need to regain endurance? Not him.

"That's a wrap for today," Mr.Hatake said four hours after Sasuke arrived at the studio. By the time practice wrapped up, Sasuke was slicked with sweat all over. He went over to his bag and dug around for his towel. He wiped his forehead down.

"Damn. I was getting used to you not being here. How unfortunate you had to come back."

"Hi Ino." Sasuke tossed the towel back into the bag. "How pleasant to see you too."

"You missed quite a bit. There's only a couple more shows of Black Swan left until we wrap up. If only you didn't pass out."

"If only you didn't lie and tell me that there was a reporter in the audience, maybe I would've been fine," Sasuke fired back, narrowing his eyes.

"There wasn't? Hm. I thought there was. Must've gotten the wrong information." Ino smirked. "How was your time off?"

"I didn't have to see you for a full week, so good." Sasuke plastered on a sickeningly sweet smile while his harsh words came out. Ino scoffed.

"Please, I bet seeing me is the highlight of class."

Sasuke laughed. "Are you that self deluded that you think that? That's cute."

"Oh, I forgot to mention. I ran into your little friend at the store the other day. We talked," Ino said every word so deliberately it was quite obvious she was trying to rub it in as much as possible.

"What friend? I don't have friends." Sasuke crossed his arms. He was sure this was another one of her instigating tactics. Her cat-like smile remained.

"That blonde guy. Y'know, the one that showed up here that one time? He said we were going to have dinner one of these days." Her eyes locked onto him, as if she expected to see a look of shock cross his face.

Ino should've known him better. He was a master at keeping his true feelings under wraps. He kept looking at her the same unamused way he had throughout the course of their entire conversation.

"Oh did you now? Sounds nice."

Ino rolled her eyes at the failed effort. "Maybe I'll take him up on the offer."

"You do that." Sasuke bent down to grab his water bottle. Nestled near the bottle was a Ziploc bag filled with grapes. He moved the bag and found a couple more; some potato chips and Cashews.

 _I don't remember packing these_ , Sasuke thought as he looked over the snacks. As he took them out of his duffel bag, he saw a small note tucked away. He grabbed it and flipped it open. On the inside of the of the small square of paper was a message.

_'Good luck at practice today. I know you'll do great -N_

_P.S: Eat these :)'_

Sasuke looked over the words a couple more times. So Naruto had packed them for him...

"What is it?" Ino snarled, trying to get a look. Sasuke closed the note and placed it back into his bag.

"It was nothing."

"Tell that to your blushing face." She rolled her eyes. "Ooh does the frigid Sasuke finally have a love interest?"

"No." He took a drink from his water bottle. "Just a reminder to do something."

"Suuuuure. You can't fool me," Ino said. "I'll find out." She walked away, her large ponytail swinging behind her.

When she was gone, Sasuke took out the note again and smiled as he re-read it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you probably noticed, this chapter switches POV's. That wasn't my original intention for this specific part, but I like it better this way. I marked the change in POV with asterisks so hopefully it didn't confuse you guys too bad. I don't have many chapters with POV switches, but there are a couple :) So Sasuke is finally back dancing again hooray!! Naruto stays being the most precious angel


	21. Don't Pick Up

The first day after was the worst. Naruto was used to checking up on Sasuke and attending to his every need. Though he was back in his house, he still caught himself about to ask Sasuke if he needed anything. When he learned that Sasuke was not present, his mood that could've been fine was shot. There was no denying it—he missed Sasuke, a lot.

Never before had his house felt so spacious. Walking around, Naruto couldn't shake the notion that something was wrong, even though it was impossible. The house was exactly the same as it had always been. What was different was the week that transpired in the apartment.

To make matters even worse, Sasuke hadn't made any attempts to contact him. In an impulsive decision one night when him and Sasuke were talking, he grabbed his phone that was unlocked. Sasuke tried to get it back, but it was too late. Naruto had it securely in his grasp.

"What did you do that for?" Sasuke said in utter confusion. He swiped his phone back angrily and glared down at the screen.

"Added my phone number. In case I go out during the day and you need something," Naruto explained. "It's a safety precaution."

Not that his number was ever used. Naruto didn't leave the apartment much during his week with Sasuke if he could help it. He only stepped out when it was absolutely necessary.

But now that the two of them were back apart, Naruto couldn't kid himself and act like he wasn't disappointed that Sasuke hadn't called him; Hell, he hadn't even sent him a single text. After all that time together and practically being his nurse, Naruto felt like he deserved at least a little text. He would even settle for a single emoji. Anything was better than the radio silence was currently getting.

Being at home was bad enough, but work was even worse. If there was a way to focus on his job and sulk about Sasuke at the same time, he hadn't found out how yet. Every time he would get started on a task, his mind would instantly drift to Sasuke and his whereabouts. Focusing on anything was damn near impossible.

"Hey. How are the reports for today going?" Jiraiya said. Naruto didn't even make an effort to hide the fact that he wasn't doing his work. He sat there, eyes blankly staring ahead at his computer, while Jiraiya approached him.

"You've been real down lately. Everything good at home?"

Naruto lifted his head up from his desk and sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Anyone from within a forty mile radius could tell that isn't true. Maybe you should try to get laid. That would help." Jiraiya gave a gross grin and nudged Naruto.

"Thanks but... no."

"When's the last time you did?"

"I have a feeling this is a highly inappropriate conversation between a boss and his employee."

"I'm just saying." Jiraiya kept his smirk. "It could be beneficial."

Naruto groaned and covered his ears. He was already not in the best state of mind. The last thing he needed to hear was his boss insinuating he go have sex.

"Ending this now."

"You should think about it," Jiraiya added, walking away and leaving Naruto to regret accepting the offer all those years ago to work for the perverted man.

******

"You want to come over? I just got out of work." Naruto was on the phone with Sakura. He was walking to his car when he dialed her number. He didn't know what made him want to, though he had a suspicion it had something to do with not wanting to be alone for another night.

"Sure. How was your day?"

"Oh I'll tell you when you come over. I'm a mess lately."

"A mess?" Naruto could hear the frown over the phone. "Now I'm worried. I'll be there in ten."

"See you then." Naruto hung up and threw his phone onto the passenger seat of the car. Lucky for him, the office was about ten minutes away. If traffic wasn't terrible, it would be even sooner.

When he reached home, Naruto was pleased to see that he had beat Sakura there. There was no sign of her car in his driveway. He made his way inside and turned the lights in his house on. While waiting for his friend to arrive, he kicked back and relaxed on the couch. His feet were resting on the coffee table for a whole two minutes when a loud knock came at the door.

"Coming!" Naruto yelled, standing up. He jogged over to the door and peeked out through the peephole. Sure enough, it was Sakura.

"Hey."

"You gonna let me in?" Sakura rubbed her arms. "It's cold out here."

"Sorry. Come in." Naruto held the door open for her. She walked briskly inside, going straight over to the couch, and took a seat. At this point, Naruto's house was her second home and she treated it as such.

"So tell me; why are you a mess? Well, besides the usual."

"Ha. Ha. So funny." Naruto closed the door and locked it shut. "You should've been a comedian."

"Funny you say that. How did you know that was my other career path?"

"I'm just that intuitive." Naruto walked over and joined Sakura on the couch.

"No more stalling. Tell me," Sakura insisted, crossing her arms over her cardigan-clad chest. "I know how you are. You'll stall forever if I let you."

"Not true." Naruto stuck his tongue out. "I've never stalled a day in my life."

"Now you're stalling about stalling, unbelievable." Sakura shook her head. "Tell me."

Naruto inhaled deeply. "Fine, fine." He had to take a lengthy pause before diving into it. There was no easy way to maneuver around what his life had become since he and Sasuke's lives intertwined.

"Soooo I like this guy right?"

"Who?" Sakura's eyes lit up. "You gotta spill."

"No can do, sorry."

"We're all friends hereeee, c'mon." She nudged Naruto. "At least tell me what he looks like."

 _If I do that, she'll know it's Sasuke. She saw that picture of him on my computer,_ Naruto thought, biting his lip.

"No can do on that either, sorry. All I can say is that he's... handsome."

"Wow! I can picture him so clearly by that description," Sakura said.

"Anyways." Naruto cleared his throat loudly. "So I like this guy. We hung out a lot this past week. Like, a lot."

"This doesn't seem to be a problem," Sakura interjected. "What's the issue?"

"That isn't. That was great," Naruto said with a sigh. "It's after that's the problem."

"What happened?"

"He hasn't reached out to me. It's been a couple days now and nothing."

"Did you try texting him? Maybe he's waiting for you to say something."

"I always feel like I annoy him so no, I haven't." Naruto frowned. "Should I?"

"Are you always the only one who makes the first moves?" Sakura asked, crossing her legs.

Naruto thought to all of their interactions. "It's... complicated."

"Every time you like a guy, it's complicated."

"I know, I know. I wish it wasn't. Men are complicated."

"I hear ya. That's why I'm glad I'm a lesbian." Sakura laughed. "Though, women aren't much better. I think people are just confusing in general."

Naruto groaned and covered his face with a pillow. Talking about made him feel even more frustrated than he already was.

"You know what, fuck this guy. We're gonna have a girls night," Sakura declared. "I'm gonna go run out and get some things. Go get changed into something comfortable. See you in a few."

"But-" It was too late when Naruto took the pillow off his face. The door slammed shut as he looked over. Sakura was gone from the couch she was sitting on only seconds ago.

"Something comfortable... Alright," He said out loud to himself. He walked back to his bedroom and changed into one of his only pairs of pajamas. Most days, he threw on baggy sweatpants and an over-sized shirt and passed out. Tonight was a special occasion. His pajamas were a matching set of navy blue silk. The cool fabric rested against his skin in a soothing manner.

Sakura returned in half an hour, arms full of shopping bags. She set them down in front of the TV in the family room.

"I'm gonna go get changed and then show you everything I got. It's gonna be great." Sakura picked up one of the bags, the only non-plastic one, and walked back towards Naruto's bathroom.

Naruto stared at the mess that was now on his floor. With how much she brought, he suspected she bought half the store.

"Cute pajamas, by the way." Sakura came back in a purple pair of pajamas with cats on them. "They look expensive."

"Kinda." Naruto watched her unpack the first bag. Inside was a package of Oreos and popcorn. She set them on the table and went to the next bag. She unearthed a bottle of Merlot and grinned.

"Nothing is complete without a little wine."

When she finished emptying all the bags, in addition to what there already was, there were tubs of ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and more candy than Naruto could count.

"There's so much. All for one night?"

"We're going to eat fattening sweets and watch a stupid movie we can laugh at together. Pick a movie." Sakura went into the kitchen and came out with two wine glasses. She filled both glasses until the wine was at the rim.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Naruto grabbed the glass and took a sip. "I'm not sure what movie to put on." He scrolled through Netflix.

"It's Netflix. Most of the movies on there suck. Any will do." Sakura pushed a bag that ended up on the couch to the ground and sat next to Naruto. "Ooh what's that one?" She pointed at the screen.

Naruto looked to where her finger was. "The 10 Year Plan?"

"Yeah. Looks corny... and gay."

Naruto shrugged and hit play. The movie opened with a candlelit dinner and two guys sitting at a table.

"Wow I'm glad the first minute was straight food shots. I'm starving." Sakura reached for the package of Oreos and ripped open the top. She grabbed one and ate it, washing it down with wine.

"Wine and Oreos... don't know if that's the best combo."

Sakura ate another one. "Not bad."

The movie was as corny as they originally suspected, but Naruto enjoyed it. About 2/3's the way through and with a belly full of wine and sweets, he realized he was a bit intoxicated.

"They're so gonna end up together," Naruto said, lifting the glass to his lips. He took another sip. The glass almost tipped and fell onto the couch. He set it down with a sigh of relief.

"I don't know. Brody's feelings are unclear. This could go either way." Sakura shoved a scoop of ice cream into her mouth. "Mhhmmm this is so good. Try some." She held out her spoon.

Naruto scooped some of the ice cream. He stuck the spoon in his mouth. The rich taste of chocolate touched his tongue.

"This is so goooood." He went back for another bite. Sakura giggled and held out the bowl for him.

"Oh no we're missing the movie."

"Shit." Naruto took a third spoonful and looked back to the screen. "I hope Myles doesn't move away. He can't, right?"

Sakura shook her head and drank more of her wine. "No. I don't think so. At least, I hope not. Ugh now I'm invested in this dumb movie."

"It's cheesy, but at the same time kinda endearing," Naruto admitted. He went to grab a bag of Skittles when his phone rang. Sakura and him both looked to each other, eyes wide.

"Who the hell is calling me? It's like, 8 at night." Naruto searched for his phone and found it under an empty package of Sour Patch Kids. He grabbed it and read the name.

"It's him!" Naruto gasped, knocking the chocolate chip cookie tin onto the ground.

"Fuck himmm. Don't answer."

"I should. I miss him," Naruto whined, finger hovering over the accept call button. Sakura adamantly shook her head.

"I know we're watching a sappy movie, but don't let it affect you. Stay strong."

Naruto wavered, but eventually answered. He ran off the couch and into another room. Sakura let out a string of curse words. He heard her come closer and moved to another room.

"Hello? Who's this?" Naruto said.

"You don't have my name saved? I find that highly unlikely." Sasuke's snarky voice came in over the phone. Naruto couldn't help but smile. He had missed it—which even drunk he realized that was a weird thing to miss.

"I do. Just wanted to see what you'd say." Naruto's sentence trailed off into a laugh.

"Are you drunk? You sound inebriated."

"You've never seen me drunk sooooo how would you know what that looks likeeee? Huhhhh?" Naruto leaned against the wall.

"Well for one; you're slurring your words and elongating them more than usual. Are you okay?"

"Never been better, handsome," Naruto said without really thinking about the implication. It went quiet on Sasuke's end for a moment. "Did I lose you?"

"No, no. Still here." Naruto noted that the raven sounded a bit flustered. "I was just calling to see if you wanted to come to my show. It'll be the first one I've been in since the, er, accident."

"You're inviting me?!" Naruto couldn't believe it. "You're actuaaallllyyyy inviting me? Is this a prank?"

"No, drunky, it's not." Naruto could see him rolling his eyes as he scoffed. "I'll rescind my offer if-"

"No! I'd l-love to come!" Naruto yelled. He covered his mouth right after. "Shit, Sakura probably heard me. She's gonna know where I am."

"Who's Sakura? Your girlfriend?" Sasuke said rather flatly. Naruto was about to respond when Sakura angrily stomped over to him.

"I said don't call him, dummy! Now you look pathetic!" She made an attempt to wrestle the phone out of Naruto's hands, but Naruto kept the phone clutched to his ear.

"Sorry about that. I'll be there. When's the show?"

"Friday." Sasuke's tone had grown even more flat. A hint of annoyance flared up with just the one word.

"I'll be there." Naruto grinned. "See you then." He hung up before Sakura could make him look even worse.

"I can't believe you." Sakura threw her arms up and walked away, grumbling all the way back to the couch. "Get over here idiot, we have a movie to finish."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I looooove writing Sakura and Naruto interactions so much. They have the best friendship and also they're mlm wlw solidarity and I cherish that. Me? Giving better development for them than Kishimoto?? It's more likely than you think. Allegro just hit 200 kudos and I'm in shock that so many people read this fic and decided it was worthy! Thank you all sm! Also you so should watch the movie I mentioned here. It's truly corny but adorable.


	22. Bouquet

Minutes after the call with Naruto and Sasuke was wondering if the decision to reach out to him was a mistake. When he made the choice to call, he didn't plan on a) Naruto being not sober, and b) some girl (that was probably his girlfriend) with him. Nether the less, Naruto would be at his show and there was nothing he could do about it now. All he could do was accept that it had happened and suspend his suspicions and annoyance.

He turned his phone off for the night and crawled into bed. It was hard to sleep while he kept thinking about the call, but he eventually found a way to shut his mind up. In the morning, his mind was back to where it needed to be; on Swan Lake. It was Thursday. Tomorrow he returned to his rightfully earned place as Benno.

After taking a week off, he lost track of some of the choreography. He had to have a bunch of one on one lessons with Mr.Hatake to re-learn all the proper moves. If not for that, he would've been back in the show the day he showed up in the studio.

"Very good. You have the hang of it, but we can do another run through if you want," Mr.Hatake said later that day while Sasuke was practicing with him. Sasuke nodded.

"I'm not messing up this time."

"Water." Mr.Hatake passed him the bottle that was on the ground. Sasuke drank without putting up his usual fight. Mr.Hatake smiled and clapped.

"Wow you really are changed. You just accepted the water."

Sasuke took another drink and handed the bottle back. "Point it out again and I'll go back to being dehydrated."

******

And like that, Friday arrived. Sasuke double checked his phone when he woke up that morning. Sure enough, below the time was small print that read the day of the week; Friday.

Every hour leading up to the performance, Sasuke's excitement intensified. He was eager, no, _hungry_ to prove himself. Without the risk of passing out, he had nothing holding him back. He wouldn't let anyone get to him. Not Ino, not the audience, not his own insecurities. Nothing would stand in his way of doing the solo—and doing it well.

Day practice went well. Sasuke only made a couple, easily correctable, mistakes. He stayed in practice until there was an hour to go until the show began. He would've remained there longer, but Mr.Hatake was urging him to go prepare for tonight.

"Do you feel ready?"

"Of course I do. I've practiced so much I dance in my sleep." Sasuke packed up his bag and slid on his jacket. "I'm going to kill tonight, metaphorically. You better be ready yourself. Might have to give me the lead in our next show on sight."

Mr.Hatake laughed. "Is that so? I have high expectations now."

"You've always had high expectations for me, that isn't new," Sasuke said. "They'll just be higher now. Though, I don't know if they can get any higher than they already are."

"They can always get higher. Now, go get ready." Mr.Hatake lightly elbowed Sasuke and walked out of the room. "Don't forget your costume."

"I didn't plan on it." Sasuke rolled his eyes. He spent the first half of the hour at his apartment; packing his bag, showering, doing his makeup, and getting changed into his aforementioned costume. He glanced in the mirror, admiring how the fabric clung to his body—unlike the shapeless clothes he donned his week off. It felt good to be Benno again and in something that fit him properly. No more sitting around in the apartment and being watched vigilantly. He would be back doing what he was meant to do.

Sasuke arrived at the theater with ten minutes until the curtain ascended. Backstage was what he called a beautiful chaos. Everyone was dashing all over. Dancers were making last minute costume adjustments, putting finishing touches on their makeup, and trying to get into place. Sasuke set his bag down and changed into his ballet slippers.

"H-Hey Sasuke. How are you feeling?" Hinata looked down on Sasuke while he crouched on the ground.

 _I feel like everyone should stop asking me that goddamn question_ , Sasuke thought with frustration, gritting his teeth. Ever since he came back, that was all everyone talked about. It made him feel fragile and he hated it. He was the opposite of fragile. Sure he passed out, but that didn't suddenly make him a weakling.

"Fine." He humored Hinata with an answer instead of snapping like he wanted to. He finished putting his slippers on and stood back up. Hinata gasped a bit, moving back shyly.

"Good luck. Not that you n-need it." Under the obnoxious lighting, her blush was even more obvious.

"Thanks. Excuse me, I should go stand in my spot." He pushed passed Hinata and made his way over to the edge of the curtain.

"One minute till showtime!" Mr.Hatake yelled, his frantic voice carrying over all the shuffling. "One minute, people! Ava I don't see you. Are you still trying to get your hair to stay in place? I told you to use bobby pins, Dear."

Sasuke placed his ear close to the curtain. Behind it, he heard the light chatter of the audience. That velvety piece of fabric was the only thing separating him from the massive crowd. In a short moment, he would be dancing for all of them to see; for their enjoyment (and his own).

"Thirty seconds!" Mr.Hatake exclaimed. "Places everyone!"

Sasuke took a nervous breath. Thirty seconds now. He could feel time slipping away. He tapped his foot lightly on the ground.

_Spin around, two assemblés, pas de chat, glissade over to the front, assemblé, tour jeté-_

"It's time!" Mr.Hatake moved so he was out of the way. Sasuke watched the curtain rise. He put on a stony expression and walked out to the beaming lights.

The first few seconds on stage were nerve wracking, but Sasuke didn't let it show. He kept his indifferent demeanor and did as he was supposed to. His opening scene, the party scene, wasn't too rough. It was the solo that would really make or break his performance.

The longer he stayed on stage, the more he adjusted and the more his nerves loosened their hold on him. By the time he had to exit the stage, he was back to his fully confident self.

Sasuke waited for Act 3 backstage. Any minute now and he would be out there again. He ran through his solo as much as he possibly could in the short window of time he had. Concentrating on his routine made the minutes go by even faster. Before he knew it, he was lining up.

"It's your time to go out there. You ready?" Mr.Hatake walked over to where Sasuke stood. Sasuke emphatically nodded.

"Sure am."

"You got this." He smiled and waved Sasuke out. "Now, go on stage and do that damn solo."

Sasuke waited until everyone returned. Once the first note of the upbeat, celebratory, music sounded, Sasuke pushed passed the dancers near him and made his way out on stage.

The first part of the solo went fine. He didn't make a single error in his movements. When he got near the part that he fainted during, a small burst of nervousness fizzled in his stomach.

 _You aren't going to faint this time, just focus on the routine_ , Sasuke recited in his head as he geared up to do the last remaining bit of the solo. He got a running start and did tour jeté after tour jeté; his body continually spinning until he went in a full circle around the stage. It was easy to mess up a single tour jeté on its own; it was even easier to mess up when you did as many as the number called for in such a quick succession.

Sasuke landed the final tour jeté with his arms in the air. He glided over to the center of the stage and did a spin in the air. From the spin, he dropped to his knee and posed; one arm extended upwards and the other out to the side. The final note of the song struck as his arms went up. Thunderous applause erupted throughout the theater. It took all of the strength in Sasuke to kept his face emotionless.

When the clapping began to die down, he stood up, did a small curtsy, and disappeared backstage. Right away a bright smile broke out on his face. He could no longer contain it. He was thrilled. He did a small jump and let himself enjoy the moment of victory—something he didn't do often.

When the performance and the dancers went back out to bow and receive an additional round of applause, Sasuke went back out and happily took a bow alongside his class. He glanced over at Ino and smirked. She narrowed her eyes and sneered.

The dancers finished receiving their standing ovation and went backstage. Sasuke hung back later than usual. He was in no hurry to go home. His spirits were high and he was fine staying a little longer.

"You did great!" One of the girls from his class said to him in passing.

"Thanks." Sasuke looked throughout the gathering that had accumulated backstage. He saw friends, parents, and significant others congratulating his peers. Even nasty Ino had someone there with her. As happy as he was, a part of him felt like he was missing out. He wondered what it would've been like if he had his own network of support. Then, he saw a familiar blonde man standing in front of him holding a bouquet of flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be a big chapter but I'm deciding to split it. Naruto is soooo god damn cute I love him I truly do!!


	23. Secret Love

On the way over to the theater, Naruto walked by a florist. Most of the shops along the street were closed, being that it was getting late. This one, for some reason, happened to be open. In the window were beautiful flowers that went from gentle tulips to captivating roses. Naruto looked further back into the store. It was pretty empty. He was about to walk by it, but something beckoned him inside.

The fresh smell hit Naruto right away. All of the flowers came together to form a sweet aroma that had him repeatedly sniffing the air.

"Welcome to Arlena's. How can I help you?" A man with red hair asked, eyeing Naruto up.

The greeting from the man distracted him. Naruto walked over to him; careful not to knock into any of the plant life under the dim lighting from above.

"I need some flowers... what's it called..." Naruto searched for the word. "Y'know, when the flowers are all in bunch and stuff?" The man gave him a dumbfounded look, his heavily black-rimmed eyes judging him.

"A bouquet?"

"Yeah, that."

"I can do that. What flowers do you want in the bouquet?"

"I gotta come up with specific ones now? Uhhhhh." Naruto's knowledge of flowers was pretty limited. He only knew of the common ones that everyone knew. His first thought was to go with roses, but he worried those would be too forward.

"What do you recommend?" He put his pride aside and asked for help. It was better than struggling and missing the performance.

The man, whose name Naruto learned from a quick glance at his name tag was Gaara, hummed and looked around the shop.

"What's the occasion? That's what factors into the flowers you choose. You wouldn't get the same flowers for a wedding as you would a funeral." He laughed as if it was a fact obvious as the color of the sky. Naruto forced a laugh.

"I'm going to a ballet and they're for someone in the show."

"Swan Lake?"

"Yeah... how did you know?"

"The theater where it's being performed at is close. People have been walking by here for a good couple of hours now. I hear it's great."

Naruto nodded. "Great is an understatement. It's amazing."

"So these are for someone in the show? Who do you know that's in Swan Lake?" Gaara asked.

"His name is Sasuke. Well, in the show he's Benno, but I didn't know if you meant the actual person's name or-" Naruto stopped his rambling. "Sorry."

"It's okay. It's cute." Gaara smiled. "So is this person just a friend or something more?"

"I don't think that's relevant," Naruto said, his voice cracking.

Gaara put his hands up. "It is. You would give different flowers to someone you have romantic feelings for versus just a friend. Flowers have a language of their own."

 _Great, now I'm gonna have to be careful about this too_ , Naruto thought with a sigh. He didn't know what to do; go with the safe option (just friend flowers) or take a risk (more than a friend).

"You looked stressed out. More stressed out than someone should be when picking out flowers," Gaara commented. "Okay, to figure out what flowers you should get, I'll ask you a simple question. Sound good?"

Naruto nodded, resting his elbows on the counter. "Go ahead."

"How do you feel about this person? Not what you think they feel about you, but just your raw emotions towards this person?"

Naruto bit his tongue. "I don't know if I should tell a florist I just met that information."

"I'll take that to mean you have romantic feelings for this person. Correct me if I'm wrong." Gaara's smug smile said he knew he wasn't wrong. Naruto remained silent.

"So now that we have that established, I can show you some different flowers for people you're trying to pursue romantically. Come with me." Gaara stepped out from behind the counter.

"Romance is one of the most common reasons for flower giving, so it's not shocking that there are a ton of different flowers for that sort of intention. With how nervous you are, I take it that you want to be subtle with your feelings towards this person?" Gaara walked passed a patch of bright pink flowers. Naruto followed him closely behind.

"Yeah."

"We'll skip over roses then. That's too obvious."

Naruto was relieved. He didn't want to go with roses either. He and Gaara stopped in front of a flower that was yellow. Gaara picked up one branch, showing it off.

"This is an Acacia flower. Like all the flowers I'm going to show you, meanings change depending on where you look in the world. Typically though, these mean either good friends or..." Gaara paused for dramatic effect. "Secret love."

Naruto squinted at the flower. The buds were fuzzy and round; resembling miniature suns. "I like it."

"We'll include them then. Here's another yellow one. You'll probably recognize it." Gaara reached over and brought back a flower with a middle that stuck out. "Do you know the name of this flower?"

"Hmmmm." Naruto moved closer to get a better look. "Looks familiar, but no."

"You're hopeless," Gaara groaned. "It's a daffodil. It means new beginnings, which makes sense since it's usually associated with Spring."

"How's this one romantic?"

"New beginnings don't sound romantic to you? To me, that would symbolize a new start to a relationship. If the person you like and you aren't together yet, then it would make sense." Gaara touched the center of the daffodil gently. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty." Naruto copied Gaara, touching the flower, but his touch was too rough and he almost severed the head of the flower from the stem. Gaara glared.

"Be more gentle. Flowers aren't like people. They're fragile." He set the nearly destroyed daffodil back to where it was before and moved towards the back of the shop.

"Some people are fragile," Naruto mumbled to himself, not being too pleased with being scolded. He didn't have much time to mull over it. Gaara was already showing him another flower. Unlike the last two, this one was purple.

"I won't bother asking if you know this one, I know you don't. This is a-"

"Wait I got it." Naruto stared intently at the flower. It was a puffy column of soft purple buds. He moved closer and sniffed it. It had a dainty smell. "Ooh it smells good."

"That's not a name."

"Right. This is uhhhhh..." Nothing came to mind no matter how hard Naruto tried to rouse something up. "Yeah, I got nothing."

"Lilac. Lilacs come in many different colors. As you can see, this is a purple one." Gaara patted the top of the bushy flower. "Naturally, each color means something different. Purple lilacs represent the first emotions of love."

"Definitely include these. They smell so good." Naruto went back to smell the flower again. "Man, you have good taste in flowers. I've liked all of them so far."

"I've worked as a florist for awhile. I would hope I know what I'm talking about." Gaara smiled at the compliment. "Alright, one more flower should do. We have yellow, purple... How about..." He strode over to the left side of the shop. "White?" He picked up a white flower and held it up.

"This is white Jasmine. It's the most straightforward flower yet. It simply means love and affection you feel towards someone. It's not as well known as the rose, so it's still good to include if you want to be not completely obvious."

Naruto was more gentle when he went to lay his finger on the flower. The petals were soft to the touch. At the center of the flowers were a cluster of orange stem-like fixtures protruding out. "Very nice."

"Great. You can go wait while I get your bouquet ready for you." Gaara got right to work, picking out several jasmine flowers. Naruto went back over to the counter and checked his phone. The show began in twenty minutes.

Gaara was quick to assemble the bouquet. Keeping the bouquet hidden from Naruto's view, he walked over to the counter.

"What color should I wrap it in?"

"Purple."

"Close your eyes."

"Is that really necessary?"

"It's a surprise. Plus... you're near my wrapping paper."

"Fiiine." Naruto closed his eyes. "They're closed."

He heard Gaara moving around him. "Just one more second."

"Open your eyes."

Naruto did as Gaara said. In front of him was a beautiful bouquet. Purple, white, and yellow flowers mixed together to create an aesthetically pleasing combination. The flowers were wrapped in a clear plastic and a purple tissue paper material. A ribbon cinched around the stems of the flowers, keeping the bouquet together.

"It's beautiful."

"If he doesn't like it, find another guy." Gaara handed the bouquet over. "Any guy would be crazy to not appreciate it."

"This guy is... a bit hard to understand. I hope he appreciates it though." Naruto blushed, thinking about giving the flowers to Sasuke. Would he be happy? Shocked? Excited? At a loss of words?

"For a bouquet like this, I'd usually charge about $190, but since I like you, I'll give you a discount."

"Awe, thank you. You're kind." Naruto reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He inserted his card into the reader and waited to type in his PIN.

"Let me know how it works out. If it goes well, maybe I can advertise that my flowers make love blossom. Excuse the pun."

"Nah that was pretty good."

"People don't buy flowers as much as they used to," Gaara said with a resigned sigh. "It's quite sad." He looked on the screen in front of him. "You can take the card out now."

Naruto tucked his card back in the wallet and placed it in his pocket. "I never knew flowers were so expensive."

Gaara nodded. "They can get pretty pricey. This guy must be special that you're willing to spent almost $200 when you aren't even together."

Naruto looked the flowers over and smiled. "Yeah. He is." He checked his phone. "Shit, the show starts soon. I should get going. Thank you so much for your help."

"No problem. If you ever need flowers again, come on back. Good luck," Gaara said.

Naruto clutched the bouquet to his chest without squishing the tiny petals and carefully maneuvered out of the shop. Gaara waved goodbye to him. He freed up one of his hands and gave a weak wave in return.

 _Let's hope Sasuke is a flower guy_ , Naruto thought while running down the sidewalk to the theater.

******

"I ,er, got these for you." Naruto held out the bouquet of flowers to Sasuke, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't look at Sasuke's face. If the raven was disgusted, he didn't want to see it. His hands shook as he held the floral arrangement, begging Sasuke to accept the gift.

"...What?" Sasuke said, his words hard to hear over the commotion backstage.

Naruto forgot that he wasn't supposed to look at Sasuke and let his gaze lift from the ground. Sasuke was frozen in place, his hands coming up and resting by his mouth. His eyebrows arched high over his widened eyes. The paleness in his face had been replaced by a deep flush.

"I got these for you," Naruto repeated. "Oh no, do you not like them? I handpicked them, I'm sorry. It's my fault if you hate them." Naruto swallowed hard. Sasuke hated the flowers. He couldn't even do something as simple as pick out the right flowers.

"You _handpicked_ them?" Sasuke's mouth became even more agape. His hands slid over to his mouth, covering it.

"Yeah I thought they, uh, went well together. The guy at the shop helped me and... I'm sorry you don't like them." Naruto let the flowers hang down by his side. He was surprised when Sasuke shook his head.

"I don't hate them. I love them." His hands dropped from his mouth and he reached out to take the bouquet.

"Really?! That's a relief." Naruto handed the bouquet over. "I was real worried for a second."

Sasuke took the flowers and looked closely at the arrangement. "I haven't seen a lot of these flowers before."

"You're telling me. The florist was schooling me hardcore." Naruto laughed.

"They're so pretty." Sasuke smiled at the bouquet. "Thank you."

"You deserve it. You killed your solo tonight. I'm glad I got to see it all the way through this time without any interruptions," Naruto said. "In fact, it was so good, how about I take you out to dinner to celebrate?" He couldn't take the words back now. It was too late. If Sasuke rejected him, it would be his fault for being so bold.

"Have somewhere in mind?"

It was Naruto's turn to be shocked. Sasuke didn't outright deny him?

"A couple places." Naruto hid his shock well behind a smile.

"At this time of night? Most restaurants are closed or at least getting near closing time." Sasuke played with the ribbon on the bouquet.

"In that case, I know _one_ place. Just know that if it was an ideal time of day, I would've picked somewhere much fancier to take you."

"That's fine. I'm not dressed fancy anyways." Sasuke motioned to his pale blue costume. "I'd look like a joke if I went in a high-end restaurant dressed like this."

"Where I'm gonna take you, there is no dress code, don't worry. Do you have to get anything?"

"Just my bag. I'll be right back." Sasuke slipped away into the crowd, leaving Naruto to stare dreamily after the dancer. His flowers were a hit and Sasuke had agreed to go get dinner with him. His luck was on the upswing. When Sasuke returned, he had a jacket over his costume and a duffel bag resting on his shoulder.

"Sorry, I couldn't find my water bottle."

"It's okay." As the men walked out of the backstage, they missed the fiery glare of Ino from across the room.

******

"What is this place? You never told me," Sasuke said, stepping out of the car once they arrived.

"You'll see." Naruto took his keys out of the ignition. Through the windshield, he saw the glow of neon sign. He got out of the car and walked towards the front door.

"Solstice? Never heard of this place before." Sasuke looked up at the flashy sign.

"It's a late night diner. I've been here with my friends a lot when we needed somewhere to eat after our late night adventures." Naruto grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. "After you."

Sasuke walked through and into the main part of the diner. Naruto smiled as his eyes took in the familiar red booths and dark tables. The only booth that was filled was in the very back. A man sat by himself with a plate of fries. Looking at the fries, Naruto realized he hadn't eaten since early this morning. His stomach growled. 

"Was that you?" Sasuke asked.

"Was it that loud? Sorry. Yeah, I'm pretty hungry."

"Going here was a good idea then." Sasuke looked at the different booths. "Where do you want to sit?"

"It's up to you. Wherever you want," Naruto said. "Personally though, my favorite booth is the one right there." He pointed over to a window booth.

"We'll sit there then." Sasuke walked over and sat on the far side. Naruto sat across from him. Sasuke set the bouquet aside.

"Welcome to Solstice. What can I get you two?" A waitress came up to their table not even a minute after they sat down. Sasuke looked to Naruto with a panicked expression.

"We need more time to look over the menu, if that's okay," Naruto said.

"That's fine. Take your time." The waitress walked away, skirt swishing behind her.

"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled, picking up the paper menu in front of him. He lifted it up, obscuring his face from view.

"It's all good." Naruto looked over the menu. Reading over the options earned another growl from his stomach. "I could go for anything on this menu."

"What do you recommend?" Sasuke let the menu flutter onto the table. Naruto set his menu down and saw Sasuke looking at him.

"Everything."

"That doesn't help." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Something specific, please."

"I'm pretty basic and usually just get a burger and fries."

"I should've known, ramen-for-breakfast boy."

"Hey! I don't do that, I told you." Naruto pouted. "I take back my help. Fend for yourself."

Sasuke grinned. "Too late." He turned his head towards where the waitress stood. "We're ready to order."

"Perfect." The waitress took out a small notepad and walked back over. "What would you like?"

"You can go first," Sasuke said, his grin lessened to a smirk. Naruto couldn't tear his gaze away. He found Sasuke incredibly attractive pretty much every waking moment (and even in sleep), but there was something about the sultry look that was driving him crazy.

 _Self control, Naruto, self control_ , he repeated in his head. When he finally broke out of his stare, he looked up at the waitress.

"I'll get a cheeseburger, a large basket of fries, and a Pepsi."

"What about you?" She finished scribbling and looked to Sasuke.

"Same thing, except small fries and water."

"Coming right up." She smiled at the two men and hurried off.

"Told you. You were too late," Sasuke said. "I hope it's good."

"You don't trust my taste?" Naruto asked in mock offense. "How dare you?"

"We'll have to see." Sasuke glanced to where the lone man was.

"That's sad," Naruto said. "Eating alone seems so lonely."

"I've done it a lot. It's not that bad." Sasuke stopped watching the man and turned his attention back to Naruto. "What do you think his story is?"

"His story?" Naruto cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Like, what's his backstory? What made him choose to be here at _this_ diner at _this_ exact time," Sasuke elaborated. "Everyone has a story. What's his?"

Naruto looked back to the man and picked up on more specific features of his. His chin was a mess of scruff. Under his eyes were sunken in bags. On top of his messy brown hair was a black beanie. If he had to guess, the man looked late thirties, early forties.

"He's going through a divorce from his wife. He doesn't stay at their home anymore. Instead, he stays in a hotel and goes out to late night diners where no one will bother him or ask questions," Naruto said, all while watching the man eat a fry.

"That was pretty good. I know it's a weird thing to ask," Sasuke said self consciously. "It's a little game I play by myself."

"Thank you for sharing it with me." Naruto smiled across the table. For Sasuke to be able to open up like that was amazing. The dancer was one of the most closed off people he had ever come in contact with. Naruto was honored that he felt comfortable enough to share a little ritual of his.

After getting into a conversation about food, their food arrived. The waitress set down their respective dishes in front of them.

"So I got a cheeseburger, Pepsi, and large fries for you and a cheeseburger, water, and small fries for you. Does that sound right?"

"Yes," They chorused at the same time.

"If you need anything, let me know. Enjoy your food," She added, walking out of sight.

Naruto didn't wait a single second longer. He dug into his cheeseburger face first. The greasy meal was perfect for his empty stomach.

Sasuke, on the other hand, took his time. He took small bites and made sure to wipe his mouth with a napkin.

"You're devouring that thing," Sasuke said in between bites. "Christ, do you always eat this fast?"

"Only when I'm this starving." Naruto finished off the burger while Sasuke only had eaten a third. "And I was prettyyyy hungry this time."

"I'm gonna have to go through an intense workout after this." Sasuke eyed the basket of fries. "I should've gotten just the burger."

"Sasuke."

"Naruto. Are we saying each other's names now?"

"You don't have to workout every time you eat something. With how much exercise you do already, you're fine. You can eat a cheeseburger and fries."

"You aren't a classically trained ballet dancer. That's easy for you to say," Sasuke scoffed. "I can't risk gaining weight whatsoever. Greasy food is a no for sure."

"Live in the moment. You can worry about that later." Naruto grabbed a french fry and ate it. "See? It's that easy."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to fire back with a scathing comment, but instead he inhaled deeply. "Fine. I'll try it." He grabbed a fry from his basket and ate it. "Happy?"

"Yes." Naruto took a sip of his Pepsi. "It's much more enjoyable to eat when you don't have to constantly worry."

"I suppose you have a point. My life has never been worry free, so I'm used to it," Sasuke sighed.

"That's not good, wh-"

"Anyways," Sasuke cut Naruto off abruptly. "Your girlfriend was pretty mad that you answered my call the other night."

"Sakura? Oh, she's not my girlfriend. You're lucky she didn't hear you call her that. She'd be offended."

"She seemed like a jealous girlfriend." Sasuke sipped his water through his straw while intensely looking into Naruto's eyes. Naruto had a feeling that Sasuke didn't believe him.

"It's... a long story."

"We have time." Sasuke remained determined.

 _Damn, he's really not letting this go_ , Naruto scratched his head.

"Well, I kinda told her that you were blowing me off and she wasn't too happy about that."

Sasuke looked away for a brief second. "I wasn't blowing you off."

"What do you call not saying anything for a couple days then?"

"I was busy trying to get all my choreography down again. I didn't have time for conversations." Sasuke sat up straighter. "You could've said something if you wanted to talk to me."

"I could've. You're right. But I always- Nevermind." Naruto shoved a handful of fries into his mouth to shut himself up.

"Say it," Sasuke challenged. "You already started."

"No, it's fine."

"Nope. I want to know." Sasuke crossed his arms defiantly.

"Fine." Naruto sighed before saying it. "I always feel like I'm annoying you so I don't want to reach out to you and bother you..." He choked the words out. His throat was so dry he desperately needed a drink, but he couldn't move to wrap a hand around his Pepsi. He stayed frozen, looking at Sasuke in fear.

Sasuke frowned. Naruto saw his mouth moving, but couldn't tell what was coming out.

"What?"

"I said that you aren't annoying."

"Are you sure about that? It's okay, you don't have to lie to me. I can handle it." Naruto nervously laughed. It would hurt like hell to have Sasuke tell him off, but he would rather it be sooner than later before he got his hopes up.

"I'm annoyed by a lot of people, but you're not one of them." Sasuke reached across the table and gently took a hold of Naruto's hand.

The second Sasuke's fingers touched Naruto's, a jolt of electricity shot through him. He looked down in disbelief. Any moment he expected Sasuke to pull back his hand but he didn't. He kept holding onto Naruto until the waitress came back.

"How's everything going?" She asked, looking down at the empty plates.

"Good." Naruto smiled, looking over at Sasuke. The raven looked back at him, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"I think we're ready for the bill," Naruto said.

"Here you go." She pulled a slip of paper out and set it on the table. "Have a great night." She walked away, leaving Naruto and Sasuke back to being by themselves.

"We don't have to go yet." Sasuke looked down at the bill. "It's not that late."

"I need to get you back to the apartment. You have a show tomorrow and need all the rest you can get." Naruto grabbed the bill. After reading it, he placed the amount in cash down on the table. "How about after the show, we come here again?"

Sasuke smiled. "I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longgggg chapter readers. My longest yet I think!! I hope you enjoyed it. Originally I didn't plan to put Gaara in the flower shop and just have a random worker, but it's much better with Gaara in my opinion. Making Gaara the florist was inspired by that picture of him in the field with flowers (y'know,,, //that// one? yeah). Gaara as a florist is adorable byeeee. That scene was honestly one of my favorites to write thus far. It was so cute to have Gaara helping Naruto make a bouquet for his crush. Our boys in this chapter were so sweet, weren't they? I'm not crying, you're crying.


	24. Salut d'Amour

Naruto stuck by his word and took Sasuke back to Solstice after his next show. It became a sort of ritual of their own. Whenever a show wrapped up for the night and Sasuke would go backstage, Naruto would be there within minutes; a smile on his face.

In addition to the late night diner visits, Sasuke and Naruto began spending more and more time together. The free time Sasuke had was consumed with going to various places with the blonde. Sometimes they went out and explored the city at night, which was always interesting. Sasuke never really cared before to see what the city had to offer. With Naruto, he saw much of the extensive night life that he otherwise wouldn't have seen.

One time, they were weaving in and out of the busy streets when they ran into an impromptu gathering. The surrounding roads were blocked off and people were lining up at the edges of the street. Naruto realized what was going on before Sasuke did.

"It's a parade," he said, his expressive eyes lighting up. "Look!" He pointed over the heads of people in the crowd. A giant float covered in bright lights rolled down the street. Not long after the float passed by, a cheery pop song filled the air.

"Let's go." Sasuke hung back from the group of huddled people near him. "I think if we go over there, we can get away from this mess."

"I have an idea. Come with me." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him through the crowd. Sasuke tried to pull back, but Naruto didn't let go. Sasuke felt the grip around his wrist tighten. As Naruto tugged him along, Sasuke kept accidentally hitting the shoulders and feet of everyone around them. He mumbled 'sorry' about a hundred different times by the time he was free.

"What are you doing? I said we should go."

"We're gonna live it up," Naruto offered little explanation, worrying Sasuke even more. "We're almost there." He ran forward, taking Sasuke with him.

"We're in the way of the parade! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"We're gonna be more than in the way. We're gonna be in it." Naruto let go of Sasuke and ran in between a float of a giant shoe and a brightly illuminated Ferris Wheel. He waved him over.

"This isn't even allowed! We didn't sign up to be in this!" Sasuke yelled, standing stubbornly in place.

Naruto cupped his ear and shook his head. He mouthed what Sasuke thought was 'can't hear you.' Sasuke sighed. He had no choice. He jogged over to where Naruto was swaying back and forth and hit him on the arm.

"You'll thank me later," Naruto said. He danced around, waving his arms around.

Sasuke walked, but didn't dance. Well, not until Naruto kept insisting. He wouldn't stop looking at Sasuke with puppy eyes while pleading. As much as Sasuke didn't want to partake and make a fool out of himself, he couldn't resist Naruto's enthusiasm and pouting. He halfheartedly moved back and forth.

"You're a dancerrrrr, you can do better than that," Naruto taunted, shaking his hips. "Let yourself enjoy it." Naruto turned to the crowd on the side of the street and blew a kiss to them. He earned a loud cheer in return.

Sasuke put a little effort into his dancing. Naruto grinned, nodding.

"That's the spirit." He twirled around and did some kicks. Sasuke was about to make a remark that Naruto danced like a dying fish, but was hit with a realization; Naruto didn't care about how good he was. All he cared about was having fun.

Sasuke smiled and tried it out for himself. He didn't think about the crowd or how they perceived him. He just focused on dancing to the music and watching Naruto. Naruto caught him staring once. Sasuke looked away quickly. He and Naruto stayed in the parade till the very end.

Other times, they hung back at Sasuke's apartment. It reminded him of the week they spent together minus the obligation. Sasuke was feeling well, and Naruto had no reason to stay there. Sasuke caught himself wondering why the blonde spent so much time around him. Most people could barely handle a five minute window of time with him (and Sasuke didn't blame them). But no matter what insult or snarky way he acted, Naruto stuck around.

It wasn't only Sasuke that noticed how much time they were spending together. Ino had a new habit of announcing whenever Naruto arrived to practice and made several comments about how he acted like a boyfriend. Sasuke denied the claims every time, but couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to date him. Whenever he caught himself going down this line of thinking, he abruptly put an end to it.

Naruto didn't like him. He was just being friendly. At least, that's what Sasuke told himself. Someone as bubbly and nice as Naruto definitely wouldn't like someone as downcast and serious as him. Besides, he was sure that even if the man wasn't dating Sakura (supposedly), he was probably with someone else. That's how guys like Naruto were; constantly going from relationship to relationship because everyone wanted them.

It wasn't as if Sasuke was completely undesirable. In the past, there had been a fair share of people that expressed their interest in him. The problem was that he was nicer to look at afar than up close. Sure, he was conventionally attractive, but his thorny personality drove most everyone away who liked him in the first place. It was only a matter of time before the same thing happened with Naruto.

"I have a surprise for you," Naruto said while Sasuke was sitting on his couch. It was one of his off days from practice and he had spent the first half of the day working out at the gym and the other hanging out with Naruto.

"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" Sasuke's interest peaked at this. Naruto was always full of surprises, though usually he didn't announce it.

"I can't say. That would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?"

"I guess. Do we have to go somewhere for this surprise?"

"Yes. Get your jacket. I'll go warm up the car." Naruto grabbed his keys and gave one last grin at Sasuke. He walked out of the apartment, the door shutting firmly behind him.

Sasuke didn’t have much to work with. Naruto was as vague as he could possibly be. All he knew was that the surprise was somewhere other than the apartment. That narrowed down his guesses to... anywhere in the entire city.

Since Sasuke has no idea where the ‘surprise’ took place, he had no idea how to dress for the occasion. What if Naruto decided to take him to a fancy restaurant and he was slumming it in sweatpants? That certainly wouldn’t make him look good.

He was left to try and pick something out as neutral as possible. He wiggled into a pair of skinny black jeans that clung to his hips. Sasuke kept the shirt simple; a white t-shirt. Over the shirt, he put on a red patterned shirt that was smooth to the touch. He tucked it into his jeans.

Looking in the mirror, Sasuke fixed his hair that had begun to get frizzy. A couple swipes through the black mess with his hands and it was back to laying flat.

"This better be a good surprise," Sasuke said as he sat in the passenger seat beside Naruto.

"I only plan bad surprises, sorry." Naruto pulled something out of his pocket. "I forgot to mention. You need to put this on." He handed the mystery item over to Sasuke.

Sasuke unfurled it. "A piece of fabric?"

"A blindfold."

"You have to be kidding me," Sasuke deadpanned. "You expect me to put this thing on?"

"Just until we're there."

"No way. That's creepy."

"Please. It won't be that long."

"If it's longer than twenty minutes, I'm taking it off." Sasuke lifted the blindfold and tied it around his eyes.

"Thank you for cooperating. I'll never ask you to do this again."

Riding in a car blindfolded was a strange experience. Sasuke felt every turn and stop more than usual since all he had to go off was how the various motions pulled his body in different directions. A couple times, he had to hold onto the side of the car to keep from falling out of his seat.

“Can you turn on the radio? I would if I could...you know... **see** ,” Sasuke said bitterly.

"Sure thing." A song with lots of guitar in it came on. Sasuke recognized it right away.

"Know Your Enemy, Green Day." He smiled, moving his head to the tempo.

"You know Green Day? I thought all you listened to was piano and classical stuff." Sasuke couldn't see Naruto's face, but he sounded surprised.

"I do usually listen to classical stuff, but that's not all I know. I grew up listening to stuff like this." He heard Naruto chuckle.

"Let me guess; you also listened to a bunch of other emo stuff."

"Green Day isn't emo."

"You definitely had an emo phase. You probably listened to My Chemical Romance 24/7 in your prime."

"No," Sasuke paused. "Okay, _maybe_."

"Knew it."

"How much longer?" Sasuke impatiently tapped his foot on the floor of the car. He couldn't see his phone and had no clue on how much time had passed since they started driving.

"A couple minutes," Naruto responded. "I'd be faster if I could use the GPS, but I didn't want it to give it away."

"You're lost, aren't you?"

"Nope. It's just not as easy."

Sasuke counted three songs that passed by the time they arrived at the mystery location. He had become so attune to the car's movement that he could tell they were parking. He reached up to take the blindfold off, but a hand stopped him.

"Not until we're inside."

Sasuke grumbled to himself and unbuckled his seat belt. "As soon as we're in there, I'm tearing this stupid thing off."

"Stay there. I'll get the door for you."

Sasuke wanted to protest, but he was in no place to do so. He couldn't see anything.

"Okay, grab my hand. I'll help you out of the car."

Sasuke waved his hand around in the air. He wasn't sure where Naruto's hand was. It was all trial and error. Finally, he came in contact with Naruto's firm grip. He held onto it, preparing to step out of the car.

"I'll guide you until we get inside," Naruto said. "Sound good?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

"You always have a choice. Okay, now I want you to swing your legs over the side of the car. Be careful."

Sasuke did as Naruto instructed. He visualized the ground beneath his dangling feet and jumped down. He felt Naruto's hands steady him on the hard surface.

"That was the hardest part. The rest should be easy." Naruto's one hand stayed holding Sasuke's while his other slid onto Sasuke's back, keeping him upright. Sasuke felt warmth rise to his cheeks and was glad that there were layers of cloth between them.

The walk to the location wasn't too bad. Sasuke tried to figure out where they were by the sounds around him, but most of them weren't very helpful; a door opening, the scuffling of shoes.

"You can take it off now." Naruto took his hands off Sasuke.

"Finally." Sasuke untied the blindfold and let it fall to the ground. When he saw where he was, he felt even more confused than when he was asked to put the blindfold on in the first place.

"The studio?" He turned around, looking at the familiar walls. None of the lights were turned on, making the room have a faint glow from the moon outside. "Is this a joke?"

Naruto shook his head. "I know it looks weird but... I want you to... teach me." His gaze shifted, looking away towards the windows.

"Teach you what?" Sasuke remained confused. "You're being vague, still. Whatever it is, I don't know why I have to teach you here... How did you even get in here, anyways? Not even I have a key."

"I had some help. That's beside the point. I brought you here because I want you to teach me how to dance." Sasuke saw that Naruto had picked up the blindfold and was fiddling around with it. "Sorry, that sounds stupid. It was a stupid idea. We can go back to your apartment."

"No, it's not stupid. I was just shocked. No one's ever asked me to teach them," Sasuke said. "You really want to learn from me?"

Naruto nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I thought it could be fun to do together."

 _And weirdly intimate_ , Sasuke thought, chewing on his lip. "Okay. I can teach you some moves and we'll see how that goes."

"Awesome! What's first?" Naruto dropped the blindfold and stretched. "I'm ready to be taught, Mr.Uchiha."

Sasuke's blush worsened at the nickname. He wasn't helping out the situation, that's for sure. He brushed it off and thought realistically how Naruto would do. He was a fit guy, but he wasn't the most agile. His flexibility was... questionable. He thought about mentioning that it was going to be hard and Naruto probably wouldn't do the best, but he didn't want to kill his eager attitude.

"Take your shoes off. Socks are gonna be a lot better to do this in than sneakers." Sasuke unlaced his sneakers and tossed them aside. Naruto did the same.

"I'll start off easy. This is a plié." Sasuke got into first position. He bent and came back up, keeping his arms turned towards his stomach. "Let me see you try it."

"I got this." Naruto stood up straight and bent down. Sasuke stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny? I did it exactly like you did."

"No you didn't. Your feet weren't turned out to the sides, you went down too quick, and it wasn't graceful at all."

 _Shit, I sound like Mr.Hatake now_ , Sasuke scolded himself. "Sorry. Okay first thing you need to do is make sure your feet are positioned right. Like this." Sasuke mimicked the proper way to do it. "Try to get your feet how mine look."

"This is beginner ballet? Well, I'm screwed." Naruto laughed. He tried to get his feet to look like Sasuke's, but they still looked off.

"Let's try a different move. This is a sauté." Sasuke jumped into the air and landed lightly on his feet.

Naruto jumped. When he came back to the ground, he almost fell. He re-gained his balance at the last second and stabilized himself.

"I think that wasn't terrible... right?"

"I mean, it was a jump. You just lack the graceful part," Sasuke said. "Ballet is all about appearing like you weigh nothing."

"Easy to say when you _look_ like that already," Naruto complained. "How about we do something that's a pose. Like that one where you stick your leg out behind you and stuff."

"This?" Sasuke did an arabesque. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, that one."

"This probably takes more balance, but sure. We can try it."

Naruto wobbled on one foot. He made an attempt to stick his leg out behind him, but it barely lifted off the ground.

"Your leg needs to be higher... Here, I'll help you." Sasuke walked over to the unstable blonde. "Your chest should be curving up more." He placed a hand on Naruto's chest. "Same thing with your chin. It should going up towards the ceiling." Sasuke moved his hand to Naruto's chin and gently pushed it up. Naruto started to wobble even more, but Sasuke caught him.

"I got you." Once Naruto was steady again, Sasuke moved his arms into the proper positions.

"I don't want to move your leg too much, or you really will fall. You look pretty good except for that." Naruto's arms wavered. Sasuke straightened them out for him, his hands traveling down to his shoulder. He swore he heard Naruto inhale sharply.

"We should do a duet." Naruto came out of the pose, rubbing the back of his leg.

"You can barely do individual moves. I don't know if that's the best idea."

"You can lead. I'll follow."

"Hmmmm. Okay. Try to keep up," Sasuke teased. "We need music." He hooked his phone up to the sound system and scrolled through his music library. Nothing caught his eye until he stopped on _Salut d'Amour_. He hit play. The soft plinking of the piano keys filled the quiet room. Sasuke strode back over to Naruto; ready to dance.

Sasuke took Naruto's right arm and placed it on his waist. The blonde looked surprised, his eyes widening. Sasuke rested his hand on Naruto's opposite shoulder and swayed slowly, which turned into him leading Naruto into several twirls around the floor.

Naruto was clumsy at the start of their duet. He frequently kept treading on Sasuke's feet and falling out of the rhythm Sasuke followed. But as they progressed, Naruto got the hang of it. He even took some charge himself. Halfway through the song, Naruto spun Sasuke around, pulling him into his arms.

For the brief moment that they were that close, a weird feeling bubbled up in Sasuke's chest.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I need to stay focused._

Sasuke smoothly transitioned to being out of Naruto's arms. He intertwined his fingers with Naruto's and moved with him all around the room in big steps. From that, Sasuke spun out, still holding onto Naruto's hand. Sasuke lifted his other arm in the air. Naruto and Sasuke moved forward at the same time, bringing them back to being pressed up against each other. Sasuke's arm came around and rested around Naruto's shoulders while Naruto's arm ran down Sasuke's side. The feeling inside Sasuke grew stronger.

 _It's just a duet. I'm this close with Ino when I dance and it's no big deal. It shouldn't be a big deal here_. Sasuke looked up at Naruto. He was smiling. Though, Sasuke noted, it was a different kind of smile. Most of the time when Naruto smiled, it was a large, cocky grin. This time, it was subtle and soft at the edge of his lips.

Sasuke began to shift away, but Naruto seemed to have other ideas. He wrapped an arm around Sasuke's back and dipped him, catching Sasuke off guard. His reflexes kicked in and he grabbed onto Naruto for support.

"Getting pretty adventurous in your skills I see," Sasuke said, panting. Naruto pulled him back up, still keeping him close. The song was nearing its end.

"I guess I am." Naruto dragged a finger along Sasuke's jaw. Sasuke's heart responded instantly to the touch, beating faster. One second, Sasuke was trying to calm his quickening heart rate, and the next, Sasuke was caught off guard again when Naruto leaned in and kissed him.

Sasuke's brain went in a million different directions to the point he couldn't think clearly. His arm that was around Naruto fell down to his side. The song faded out as they broke apart from the kiss. Sasuke pulled away first, an intense amount of warmth covering his body and face. He and Naruto looked at each other for a few seconds, not saying anything. It was Naruto that spoke up eventually.

"I'm sorry about that. Heat of the moment kinda thing. I understand if you hate me..."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but shut it before anything could come out. The kiss was so unexpected, he couldn't even label what he felt about it. Dizziness washed over him.

"We should probably head out. It's getting late." Sasuke knelt on the ground and put his shoes back on. He heard Naruto stuttering and stumbling over his words, but Sasuke walked out of the room anyways. On the way back to the car, his head felt like it was about to explode. Naruto had kissed him. Naruto had kissed him. Naruto had-

"Sorry about that again." Naruto arrived back at the car, sitting in the driver's seat.

"Just drive." Sasuke buckled in his seat belt and turned to look out the window. As he kept his gaze pointed at the pitch black sky, he kept replaying the kiss in his head. For some strange reason, he couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how he tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It happened y'all look at that!! 60k words in and they //finally// kissed!! I'm so excited to see all of your reactions.


	25. A Friend

Naruto was freaking out. No, it was worse than freaking out. He was driving himself mad with nonstop thoughts about the previous night. He was an _idiot_ ; a total idiot. Throughout their time of being acquainted with one another, Naruto had casual thoughts of Sasuke hating him. This time though, he was almost 100% convinced.

Dancing with Sasuke was one of the most magical moments of his life. He hated describing interactions in such a way, but it was the only word that did it justice. There was no other way to summarize what it felt like to move hand in hand with Sasuke around the moonlit room while a gentle piano song played.

Maybe that's why he made the move on Sasuke. Everything about their encounter was teeming with romantic possibility. Not to mention how handsome Sasuke looked. All of his sharpest features stuck out under the faint light; his complex and calculating eyes, his chiseled jaw, the dramatic swoop of his hair. The fact that he was in his element only added to how attractive he was.

While he regretted kissing the raven, Naruto put his reaction aside and thought solely about the kiss. Since his lips were connected to Sasuke's, he felt the rush of breath leave his mouth.

The kiss was everything he thought it would be. Sasuke's lips were soft. Kissing him felt _right_.

If only Sasuke felt the same way...

Technically, Naruto didn't have a verbal confirmation that Sasuke was repulsed, but he had an inkling that was the case. After he had apologized, Sasuke just brushed it off and acted like nothing had happened.

At work, it was hard _not_ to be consumed with guilt. He managed to get some tasks done, but it certainly wasn't easy with what happened weighing on his mind. Naruto was thankful for his lunch break. As soon as it hit 12, he got up from his desk and headed to the office lunchroom.

The room was pretty empty, except for one of his coworkers who was scarfing down a sandwich. Naruto took a seat next to him.

"Hey Choji. That sandwich looks good."

Choji swallowed the bite he had taken and grinned. "It is. I got it from that little sandwich shop down the street."

"I'll have to go there sometime." Naruto took out his lunch; a chicken salad, grapes, and a can of Sprite.

"Salad? That's so boring. You aren't going to feel full after that."

"The chicken helps." Naruto stuck his fork into the salad and took a bite. "Is there any dressing around here?"

"Mhm." Choji's mouth was full with sandwich again. He pointed over to the fridge that sat in the far corner of the room.

Naruto walked over to the fridge and looked inside. Sure enough, there were a couple different types of dressings. He grabbed the Ranch and went back to his seat. Naruto poured the Ranch lightly over the salad and took a bite.

"Much better, thanks."

Choji shot him a thumbs up, too invested in his meal to spit out words. Naruto went back to eating. It wasn't long before his brain was consumed with Sasuke once more and his stomach felt weak.

Apparently, it wasn't very subtle, because Choji gave Naruto a strange look. He set down his sandwich and took a large gulp from the Pepsi beside him.

"You good? You look pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto did his best to sound convincing. He speared lettuce and chicken with his fork and took another bite. As the dressing coated morsels went down his throat, he gagged.

"It's pretty obvious that you're not fine," Choji said. "What's wrong?"

"It's stupid, don't worry about it."

"You struggled to get down a small amount of food. That's a problem in my book. So what is it? Work not going well today? I can ask Boss to give you less work."

"That's nice, but no thank you. It actually has nothing to do with work at all."

"Oh, then what?"

Naruto deeply sighed. "Feelings are confusing. People are confusing. Everything is confusing."

"Not food. Food is never confusing." Choji finished his sandwich and moved onto the bag of chips near him.

"Except food."

"But who's confusing you?"

"A... guy."

"What's this guy doing?" Choji crunched on a handful of chips.

"I think I messed things up with him."

"What did you do?"

Naruto explained the previous night, not leaving out a single detail. Choji listened, nodding his head and eating his chips like they were a buttery tub of popcorn and Naruto's story was a movie.

"So yeah, I don't know what to think. I'm pretty sure he hates me now."

"I don't know about that. You're a pretty handsome guy. He could've just been not expecting it."

Naruto thought about it for a second. It was always a possibility that Sasuke was alarmed and not sure how to react to something as sudden as a spontaneous kiss. Thinking about about it like that made Naruto feel slightly better.

"You're right. Thank you."

"You should probably talk to him about it. You know, clear up any confusion."

"That isn't a terrible idea. Although, when I think about mentioning it, I feel super embarrassed. He'll probably try to change the subject or something."

"Still. You're nervous about it, right?" Choji asked. Naruto nodded.

"Then you should work it out. Otherwise, you're going to keep being nervous over if this guy likes you or not."

"I didn't know you were this good at advice," Naruto said, drinking his soda.

"Depends. Some things are more easily solvable than others."

The rest of lunch was filled with Choji and Naruto making small talk and eating the rest of their lunches together. Naruto didn't talk to the man much, but after his help, he resolved to. The talk really helped get Naruto back on track when he went back to his desk. He was able to get through much more than this morning.

******

Naruto wasn't the only one struggling with the whole ordeal. At practice, Sasuke was significantly less focused than usual. He found it exceptionally difficult to focus on perfecting his pirouettes when all that seemed to plague his mind was Naruto and their night together.

Putting the kiss aside, the night had been lovely. Naruto surprised Sasuke by taking him to the studio (the very one he was at right now) and told him he wanted to learn how to dance. He thought it was a sweet gesture, but that wasn't shocking. Naruto was full of sweet gestures; whether it was coming to every one of his shows, giving him a surprise bouquet of flowers, or taking care of him when he was hospitalized.

Part of him felt guilty. Surely there were much more deserving individuals of Naruto's treatment. He never asked for it. For some reason, that damn blonde felt the need to be kind towards him.

On the surface, he had to admit; it was nice. He wasn't used to someone as genuinely selfless as Naruto was. Obviously, he didn't want to be treated poorly. But deep down, there was something inside Sasuke that wanted to reject it. Something that made him want to run away from even the smallest sliver of care.

His first instinct was to avoid Naruto and hope that the blonde would move on. He would delete his number and act like the past month or so hadn't happened whatsoever. If Naruto came up to him, he would feign stupidity and pretend he had no idea what the man was talking about.

But something in him couldn't do that. Naruto would be heartbroken if he went with that plan. At least, he assumed so. If he was in Naruto's shoes, he would be substantially upset if the guy that he kissed decided to disappear out of nowhere. The one time Naruto _thought_ Sasuke was ghosting him, he was pretty upset. He could only imagine how Naruto would be if it was really happening...

"Sasuke. You were supposed to développé," Mr.Hatake called out, pulling Sasuke out of his mind and back to the room around him. Everyone in class was staring at him with confused expressions. Développés were one of the easiest things to do in ballet, and yet Sasuke had fumbled and got so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize he was supposed to be doing one. He caught Ino's smirk from across the room.

 _We're only in warm ups and I'm already fucking up_ , Sasuke thought with a frown. He put Naruto to the back of his mind and looked to Mr.Hatake.

"Sorry, Sir. I'm ready now."

"We'll start from the beginning. 3, 2, 1."

After practice, Sasuke was more than happy to be done for the day. With preparing for upcoming auditions and trying to understand his feelings, his brain was a cluttered mess. Sasuke packed up his duffel bag and walked towards the door.

"Leaving so soon? I thought you'd want to stay and practice more after your disappointing performance today." Ino came up to him and laughed.

"I think I'd rather practice at home." Sasuke glared. "Preferably, away from you."

"No need to be so harsh. I just wanted to say congrats." Her know-it-all smirk didn't wane.

"Congrats? On fucking up? Thanks," Sasuke retorted, pulling the duffel bag strap up higher. "I'm gonna go now. See ya later." His hand touched the door handle when Ino's next sentence halted him.

"Congrats on finally finding someone to put up with you. Though, I think I should warn him. He should be with someone better. He's a good guy."

Sasuke slowly turned around, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me? Are you implying that I'm with someone?"

"What else do you call someone that shows up with flowers for you?"

_So she saw Naruto giving me the bouquet..._

"A... friend. Sorry that you don't have any friends that care about you enough to do so." Sasuke had no idea if Naruto even cared that much or if it's just the kind of person he was. All he knew was that he couldn't let Ino win this argument. She rolled her eyes at his response.

"A friend." She air-quoted. "You two act like a lot more than friends. I heard from someone that you guys were dancing here last night alone. Is that something just friends do too?"

"No. That's just a rumor. You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"It sounds pretty believable to me. I've seen how he looks at you when he shows up to practice. Where _is_ he, by the way? Did you two get in a fight?" Ino snickered. "I wouldn't be shocked."

"No. We aren't fighting. He's just... busy."

"Busy... Right. I won't keep you held up any longer. Have a good day with your boyfr- I mean, friend." Ino flicked Sasuke's hand off the door and walked out.

Sasuke's confusion worsened. He called Naruto a friend, but he wasn't sure if that was even true. Were they friends? Something more? Something less? Everything was so up in the air that he didn't know what to label the man as.

Just as Sasuke was about to leave for good, his phone chimed. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was as if Naruto could read his thoughts.

(5:23 PM): _I have two tickets for a museum. I don't think I'll go if it's just me. Do you want to come with?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow me adding in another Naruto character? Shocking. My boy Choji doesn't get enough love so here he is as Naruto's coworker. I'm glad y'all enjoyed the last chapter! All of the comments have been super fun to read.


	26. Alcohol & Abstract Art

Sasuke went back to his apartment and got ready for his visit to the museum with Naruto. It was a strange offer, but who was he to refuse? It had been awhile since he had been to a museum anyways. He supposed it could be interesting.

He showered away the sweat from the day's practice and got changed into something museum appropriate; a black blazer, high-waisted dress pants, and a silky button up shirt with an abstract pattern. He slid a couple rings over his fingers.

Naruto said to meet him at his house. Sasuke was intrigued. When he and Naruto hung back and took it easy, it was always at Sasuke's apartment. Never before had he seen the blonde's residence. Sasuke wondered what it entailed. He couldn't picture what type of living arrangement Naruto had. Though, he didn't have to wonder for much longer. In less than an hour, he would find out for himself.

Sasuke entered the address into his phone. According to the calculated time, he would reach Naruto in approximately twenty five minutes. He set his phone down and began driving.

Right away, Sasuke noticed that the amount of abandoned buildings and chain link fences decreased the farther he got from his part of the city. Instead, there were tall trees and paved sidewalks. He found it refreshing.

Turns out that Naruto lived in a tan house that sat on a sprawling green lawn. Around the house, large trees like the ones Sasuke saw leading up to this point stood guard at the back and sides. To get to the door, a single set of stairs went up to the porch. The porch was enclosed by a pure white railing. If Sasuke was being honest, it resembled something out of a commercial starring a suburban family.

When he pulled into the driveway, he thought he entered the wrong address. There was no way Naruto lived in such a preppy-looking house.

(6:12 PM): I'm here.

Sasuke sent the text and looked up at the door. No one came outside.

 _I guess I did put in the wrong address_ , Sasuke thought while moving his hand to put the car in reverse. As he did so, there was movement by the front door. Sasuke dropped his hand and watched closely. The man turned around and waved at Sasuke. Blonde hair? Whisker markings? Vibrant blue eyes? There was only one person that it could be.

"I'm glad you found the house okay." Naruto climbed into the car and sat next to Sasuke. "Ooh this is the first time you'll be driving. How good of a driver are you?"

Sasuke was still stunned that it was Naruto's house. He looked from the house to Naruto to back at the house. "You really live here?"

"I do. Were you expecting something different?" A playful smile graced Naruto's lips.

"I'm... honestly not sure what I was expecting. All I know is that it wasn't _this_."

"If you still don't believe me, I'll have to give you a house tour." Naruto winked. "You look nice."

Sasuke hid his smile behind strands of hair that fell in front of his face. He didn't want Naruto to see how much his compliments affected him. When his smile faded, he brushed the hair away.

"Thanks. You look nice too." Naruto was in a white, long sleeve, button up and black dress pants. Over his shirt was a fitted gray coat. The whole outfit was refined—a contrast to his messy blonde hair.

"Awe is Sasuke being _kind_? I should mark this down on the calendar."

"I take that back. You look awful." Sasuke grabbed his phone off the dashboard and handed it to Naruto. "Type in the address."

Naruto took the phone, his fingers quickly moving across the screen. Sasuke looked back at the map when Naruto set the phone down.

"It's not too far from here. You ever been before?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I hear it's super good, though."

Sasuke backed out of the driveway and into the road. He wasn't the biggest fan of driving, but it was even more stressful when he had Naruto sitting beside him. He did his best to ignore the blonde and worry about where he was headed.

The museum was located in the midst of one of the busiest parts of the city. Sasuke was glad that they were going during the week, because it would've been a _nightmare_ to try and find parking on a weekend. For tonight, they were in luck. There were plenty of open spaces around the museum. Sasuke chose the closest one possible and parked his car.

"I see why you let me drive usually." Naruto unlatched his seat belt. "That parking was scary."

"Scary? I think I parked fine, thank you very much." Sasuke pulled the keys out of the car and shoved them into his pocket.

"You almost hit the car next to us."

"Not true," Sasuke fumed. Was he the best driver? No. Was he going to willingly admit that? Also no. "Let's go inside before I change my mind."

The men got out of the car and went up the many steps to the museum's front doors. By the time they reached the top, Naruto was panting.

"There's my workout for the day."

Sasuke and Naruto walked into the museum. Naruto handed the tickets over to the woman who dully stared ahead. She ripped the tops of the tickets off and gave them back.

"Enjoy," Her tone was almost as bland as her lifeless expression.

Sasuke ventured into the museum, Naruto at his side. He did most of the leading. Naruto followed him wherever he went. Besides a few stray couples that wandered around the museum, Naruto and Sasuke's only company was the art on the walls. Sasuke found it relaxing. He didn't have to worry about being bothered by anyone. He could focus on the many paintings before him.

"Look at this one." Naruto pointed up at an impressionist painting of a group of dancers in tutus. "I think you should get one of those."

"One of these paintings? Do you have any idea how much that would cost?"

"That too, but I meant the tutu." Naruto grinned. "I think you would look good."

"I think not. I'll stick to my costumes as they are. The pastels are bad enough. A tutu would be even worse." Sasuke shuddered, picturing himself in such a ridiculous item of clothing.

Naruto ran over to another painting. "Isn't this cool?"

Sasuke walked over and took a look for himself. The canvas was covered in white and black paint. Thick, uneven, jagged lines ran next to messy, oval-like blobs. The blobs and lines were in black.

"I don't get it. What does it mean?"

"It's open to interpretation." Naruto's gaze didn't lift from the painting. "What do you think it means?"

"Hmmmm." Sasuke squinted. "Not sure. It looks like shapes to me."

"You're thinking about it too literally. Beyond that."

"Uhhhhh... Sorry, I got nothing."

Naruto pointed at another painting. "What about that one?"

Sasuke looked over to where he was pointing. The painting in question was a canvas of solid blue. He was even more lost than when he looked at the previous one.

"It's just all blue... How did this even get in here? I could paint that."

"So mean."

"Oh yeah? You tell me what that one means if it's soooo profound."

"Okay you got me there. I actually don't know the meaning of this one. I like abstract art. It's more interesting than stuff that's so straightforward like a river or a field."

"I don't mind ones like that." Sasuke walked around Naruto and up to a painting of a mountain range. "Like this one. Look how intricate the peaks are. Look at the sky behind it. You can tell it's first thing in the morning by the colors."

"Hmmmm." Naruto came up beside Sasuke and glanced at the mountains. "Can't argue with you there. It is very well done. I still prefer abstract art, though."

"You're impossible," Sasuke said. "I don't know how you can like something that looks like it was done by a five year old."

"Harsh." Naruto shook his head. "Not all abstract art looks like that. You have to use your-" He poked Sasuke's forehead. "-imagination."

The rest of the museum trip was seemingly a battle between art styles. Naruto pointed out all of the abstract pieces and told Sasuke what they meant to him and asked for his interpretations. Sasuke pointed out all of the realistic art and explained to the blonde why it reigned supreme. By the time they walked through the whole museum, it was nearly closing time.

In fact, it was so close to when the museum closed for the night, a museum curator came up to the two boys while they were involved in another art war.

"So you're telling me that mess of color is better than this intricate painting of a castle? You've got to be joking with me."

"It's not just a mess of color! You have to look more carefully. Look at the brushstrokes. That's not just-"

"Excuse me, but the museum will be closing in ten minutes. Please start to make your way to the exit. Thank you." The curator hastily walked away, only staying long enough to get the short spiel delivered. Naruto and Sasuke stopped their arguing and looked to each other.

"It's already closing time? No way. We just got here," Naruto said.

Sasuke checked his phone. "Actually, we've been here for a couple of hours now." He held the phone up for Naruto to see.

"Hm. Didn't feel like that long. Wanna go back to my place? Unless, you'd rather go home. That's okay too."

"We can do that." Sasuke smiled. "You better get us something to eat. I'm starving."

******

The drive back to Naruto's house was laid-back. After the lighthearted museum 'date' (Sasuke wasn't sure what to call it), it seemed like they were returning to normal. Well, what normal was to them. Sasuke pulled into the driveway and put the car into park.

"Your driving was much better this time. Still not as good as mine, though." Naruto smirked, opening the door and getting out.

"Whatever you want to believe." Sasuke kept the keys clutched tightly in his palm as he made his way up to the door. "You should be leading the way. It's your house."

"Good point." Naruto overtook the lead and arrived at the door first. He pulled out his keys and slid one into the lock. With a quick turn, the door creaked open.

"Sorry about the mess. I didn't realize you would actually be coming inside." Naruto walked up the steps and through the door. He flicked on a couple switches, flooding the house with light.

Sasuke wasn't sure where to look first. Naruto's house was decently sized. A carpeted staircase led upstairs to a row of doors. Sasuke couldn't tell what lied beyond them. All he could see was the slight crack between the doors and the frames. From what he could tell, the house didn't appear that messy.

"Do you live here all by yourself? This is a big house for one person."

To his surprise, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I do. My job makes pretty decent money."

"It must be nice to have all this room to yourself."

"Mostly. Sometimes it gets lonely." Naruto looked off into another room. "Anyways, make yourself at home. You can sit in the family room while I make dinner for us."

"I... have no idea where that is." Sasuke followed Naruto through the hallway into the main part of the house. He spotted a room with a couch and a TV and ventured into it.

"I'm guessing this is the family room...?"

Naruto looked over. "Look at you, finding it all on your own. If I didn't know, I'd think you've been here before."

Sasuke took a seat on the couch and sunk into the cushions. He grabbed one of the pillows and wrapped his arms around it. While he made himself comfortable on the couch, Naruto got to work. Within minutes, a pleasant smell wafted over to where Sasuke sat.

"That smells so good. What are you making?"

"You'll see in a couple minutes."

Sasuke tried to take a peek at the stove while he was on the couch, but Naruto's body blocked him from seeing even a hint of what the mystery dinner was. Sasuke was becoming drowsy until Naruto called for him and jolted him back to reality.

"Dinner is served." followed by the clanking of plates and dining utensils. Sasuke peeled himself off the couch and walked over to the table where Naruto was sitting. Sasuke sat directly across from him.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Normally, I'd say water. But that bottle of wine over there looks pretty good." Sasuke wasn't that much of a drinker, but he didn't mind a splash of wine every now and then. At wrap up parties for his shows, there was usually some sort of wine that he allowed himself to indulge in if he felt like he earned it.

"Coming right up." Naruto filled a clear wine glass up with a deep crimson liquid, careful not to spill any. He handed the glass over to Sasuke. Sasuke took it. Only when his fingers were wrapped tightly around the glass did Naruto release his grip.

"As for the food, I made steak. It's well done. I didn't know how you prefer yours to be. I hope it's okay." Naruto began cutting his piece of steak up with his knife.

"Well done is good. I don't have steak much, so I don't really have a preferred way for it to be." Sasuke cut into his piece of steak. "I don't even remember the last time I had steak." He took a bite. "This is really good." He washed the meat down with the glass of red wine.

"I didn't think you would want ramen, so I had to go out of my comfort zone. Luckily, I planned on having steak this week so I already had some in my fridge."

"What was your favorite painting we saw today?" Sasuke asked, going to cut more of the steak up. "I'm sure it's going to be one of the stupid blob pictures."

"Well," Naruto finished chewing the steak in his mouth. "My favorite piece of art was you, but other than that? Hmmmm. Probably the painting by Wassily Kandinsky."

 _How is he always so damn smooth?_ Sasuke asked himself, a gentle warmth coming to his cheeks. He waited for the warmth to fade before speaking.

"That black and white mess? _That_ was your favorite?"

"It was. I'm sure yours was that mountain one."

"False... Okay you're right. It was." Sasuke helped himself to more wine. He didn't often admit defeat, but he couldn't deny it. The mountain scene truly captivated him. "I'd like to visit somewhere like that."

"It's probably super remote. No one even would be around you." Naruto ate more of his steak. "A loner's paradise."

"Perfect for me then."

"You wouldn't be able to dance. I'd imagine it would be a challenge to get to practice when you're up in the mountains like that."

"I didn't say I would live there," Sasuke clarified. "I just said visit. It would be a nice retreat away from the busy city."

"Maybe sometime we can go somewhere like that," Naruto said. "Unless you wanted to go by yourself, then by all means..."

Sasuke looked across the table and into Naruto's eyes. He couldn't tell if he was serious or playing around like usual Naruto fashion. He took yet another sip of wine, still holding the man's gaze.

"We'll see. I think I'm starting to feel the wine." Sasuke held up the glass; the deep red sloshing around and threatening to spill over the edge. He realized that he was thinking less. His filter was lessened. Instead of holding back, he felt himself about to say what was on his mind. He did his best to keep it in and keep his mouth busy with another tilt of his glass.

"You've barely had two glasses. I take it that your tolerance is low."

"Yeah. I don't drink much." Sasuke knew that he probably should've stopped at this point, but he kept going. He was... enjoying himself. Eating dinner with Naruto and talking about the museum and anything that came to his mind was a luxury he didn't have most of the time.

"Be careful. You don't wanna get sick." Naruto moved his hand to take away the bottle, but Sasuke swatted his hand away.

"It's okay. I'm pacing myself." He filled his glass with more wine and smiled. "You should have more." He stood up, wine bottle in hand, and looked for Naruto's glass. The moment his feet made contact with the floor, a rush of dizziness washed over him.

"Back to sitting I go." Sasuke set the bottle down so forcefully, he was shocked to not see it shatter into a million tiny shards. He played around with the label, a small giggle leaving his throat.

"This wine looks expensive. How much was it?"

"I think that's enough wine for you." Naruto went to grab the bottle, but Sasuke still held onto it. Naruto pulled it towards him. Instead of letting go, Sasuke stood up again and kept clinging on.

"I said I was okay."

"I can tell that if you keep going, you'll have a wicked hangover. It's best to stop while you're ahead."

The wine bottle quickly became a pawn in an unannounced game of tug o' war. The two men pulled back and forth until Naruto pulled too hard and Sasuke came along with him. The raven ended up sitting in Naruto's lap.

If Sasuke wasn't inebriated, he probably would've lept up right away as soon as he landed on Naruto. Since he had alcohol running through his veins, his reaction was much different. Instead of apologizing and returning to his side of the table, Sasuke remained seated. He giggled once more and looked over at Naruto's face. The blonde was red all over.

"Y'know, you called me art, but I don't think you're too bad yourself," Sasuke leaned in and whispered in Naruto's ear, finishing his words off with a kiss on his neck. He heard Naruto swallow hard and felt the man move his head away from him.

"You're drunk, or buzzed at the very least. This isn't right."

"We're just having some fun, that's all." Sasuke went back and outlined Naruto's lips with one of his slender fingers. "I don't think you mind it. You were the one that kissed me after all."

"I wanted to talk to you about that. That's partly why I invited you to go to the museum with me." Naruto gulped again, his eyes following Sasuke's finger. Sasuke rested his finger across Naruto's mouth in a 'sh' position.

"We don't have to do much talking. I liked it, even if I didn't really show it. I mean how do you show it? You just say 'hey I liked kissing you, do it again' like a loser? I don't think so."

Naruto moved Sasuke's finger so his mouth was free to speak. "I'm gonna let you lay down on the couch while this wears off. Try to get some rest."

Sasuke shook his head. "We're having an important conversation. Then after we talk about more ugly paintings that you like-" Sasuke gasped. "Actually... Maybe we can try to _paint_ one ourselves. We can take them to the museum and see if they accept them. Hey! Put me down!"

Naruto had scooped Sasuke up in his arms. Sasuke flailed around but it was no avail. Naruto's grip on him was firm. He walked over to the couch and gently set Sasuke down so he was sprawled out across the cushions.

"I'll get you a blanket. Be right back."

"How dare you?! I was giving you a very good idea!" Sasuke shouted until his eyelids grew heavy. He passed out before he could see if Naruto brought him a blanket or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see. Okay it hasn't really been that long, but to me a week feels like a month. I'm glad I finally got this chapter written because I was struggling with how to write it along with my own mental health haha but alas, it's here! I gotta say, drunk Sasuke is a fave. If Naruto wasn't such a sweet angel, we'd have more flirty drunk Sasuke. Also I'm laughing because every word in my title starts with an 'a'. In this house, we love alliteration. OOOH forgot to mention but Sasuke finally going to Naruto's house?? Niiiice.


	27. The Day After

Naruto awoke bright and early next morning. For once, his alarm wasn't the one to rouse him from sleep and he woke up on his own. He stretched and let out a giant yawn. When he tossed the blankets off his bed, he saw that he was still in his formal clothes. Wondering why he never put on pajamas the night before, he made his way to the shower.

He didn't want to go to work. Truth be told, he never really _wanted_ to go. It was more of a 'either you go or you starve because you lose your only source of income' sort of thing. Naruto contemplated calling in sick but decided against it. As much as work sucked, it wasn't worth losing one of his vacation days for his made-up illness.

The shower helped him get ready for what would be a long day of filings and reports. He toweled off and traded his towel for one of his clean work suits. Today, he was in the mood for grey. Both his blazer and pants were the same shade of grey, while his shirt was white. He added his accessories—a navy blue tie and a watch — to complete the look.

When Naruto went downstairs, here's what he expected; eating his meager breakfast, brushing his teeth, and heading off to work. What he didn't expect; Sasuke laying on the couch. When he saw the dancer curled up under a blanket, the memory of last night came flooding back to him.

_I let him sleep on my couch because he was drunk, right._

Naruto walked as quietly as he could over to the couch and crouched down. He inspected him further. Sasuke was fast asleep. The urge to stay home rushed back, this time to look after Sasuke.

 _I could just call in, it would be easy... No, I can't. That's irresponsible_ , Naruto mourned the time he could've spent with Sasuke and stood back up. He walked back out to the kitchen and grabbed the notepad on the counter. He scribbled a message while he waited for his toast to cook.

He was so focused on crafting the perfect note that Naruto nearly burned his toast. He popped it up at the last second, saving the sides from being burnt to a crisp. While buttering the simple breakfast meal, he read and re-read the note.

_This will be fine. Hopefully he sees it when he wakes up._

Naruto took his time eating his toast. He hoped that by the time he finished, Sasuke would wake up and he could speak to him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The slices of bread turned to crumbs and Sasuke still wasn't awake.

As much as he wanted to, he couldn't dwell on it any longer. Every second that ticked by was one second closer to being late he was. Naruto went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, threw on his coat, and headed out for work. He managed one last glance at Sasuke's peaceful state before closing the door behind him.

******

When Sasuke's eyes opened for the first time that morning, he immediately squeezed them shut. He had no idea where he was or why his entire body was wracked with an ache, but he did know that wherever he was—it was too goddamn bright.

Within a couple of seconds, it all hit him at once; a pounding headache, a dry mouth, a heap of nausea. He opened his eyes again and looked up at the high ceiling. The entire room was spinning and all he could do was helplessly lay there.

Sasuke felt as if he was back at the hospital pathetically contained to that small bed once more. He had no idea where he was and everything hurt. He fought through the natural urge to close his eyes and surveyed the room from where he was curled up. A TV was across from him hanging on the wall. Other than the couch he was on, there were a couple sparse pieces of furniture around. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

He threw the blanket that was draped over him off onto the floor and hauled himself upright. If he thought he was dizzy before, this was a whole other level of hell. Sasuke had to sit down almost right after he stood.

The only upside to having to lay down was that it gave him time to think about what transpired last night. His brain was foggy; making it hard to recall anything that wasn't in scattered fragments.

So far, the only thing that came back to him was that he was drinking alcohol. He had no idea with who or how much—though he could take a guess at how much by how he felt. With the sorry state he was, he chose to remain laid out for about an hour. Sasuke didn't want to take a chance and make himself feel worse.

Standing up was better the second time. He still felt shitty, but less shitty than before. Sasuke rubbed his head and walked out towards the kitchen. On the counter was a note. Sasuke grabbed it and held it close to his face.

_Sasuke~_

_Good morning. I know you're probably confused. If you're not, that's good. But if you are, allow me to explain. Last night we went to a museum together. When we got back, we had dinner. You drank a couple of glasses of wine and ended up getting pretty intoxicated. Feel free to rest as long as you need to. I'll be back around 5 or 6 if you decide to stay that long._

_-Naruto_

Sasuke put the note down. So he was at Naruto's house after getting drunk... how embarrassing. He should've had better self control. Instead, he ended up being an idiot with a low tolerance. This realization added to his excruciating headache.

 _I gotta get back to the apartment. I can't stay here till Naruto gets home later_ , Sasuke thought while glancing over at the electronic clock on the microwave. It was one in the afternoon. He had a couple hours before the man returned from work.

Sasuke stumbled over to the front door and peeked outside. His car was in the driveway; a small victory. He prayed he made it back to the apartment without throwing up. With a deep breath, he opened the door and made his way over to his car.

Instantly he regretted what he thought earlier about it being bright. The sun glaring down on him was ten times worse than the light that came in through the windows. Sasuke grumbled until he unlocked the car and slammed the door behind him.

Driving while having a hangover proved to be a pretty formidable challenge. His full focus wasn't on the road. He had to manage his symptoms while making sure he was taking the right turns. More than once, Sasuke was close to having an unfortunate encounter with another vehicle. Thankfully, he made it to the apartment in one piece.

The first thing Sasuke did when he walked through the familiar door to his apartment was bolt to the bathroom and empty the contents of his stomach. His nausea was reaching unbearable amounts. Any second longer and he would've thrown up on the floor. Wiping his mouth with a tissue, Sasuke weakly stood up and collapsed on the couch. In between waves of dizziness, he fell asleep.

The next time he woke up was when he heard his phone's obnoxious ringtone blaring. He figured it was even more intensified because of the sensitive state he was in and picked up the phone with an annoyed grumble.

"Hello?"

"Sasuke? Hey. How are feeling?" Naruto's concerned voice came over the line.

"Great, as you would expect," Sasuke replied with obvious sarcasm. "I feel fantastic. I could go run in a marathon if I wanted."

"You could've stayed till I got home. I would've taken care of you."

"No, it's fine." Sasuke felt himself blush. "I'll be over this by tomorrow."

"Most likely. Make sure you're drinking lots of water, okay?"

"Water... right." Sasuke hadn't had any water all day. In his defense, most of his day was spent asleep.

"Sasuke Uchiha, if you don't take care of yourself, I swear I'll come over there," Naruto said. "Don't test me."

"One of the downsides of you knowing where I live. You can show up whenever," Sasuke sighed. "Fine, I'll drink some water that I'll probably throw up."

"That's the spirit."

"I'll talk to you later. I need to take something for this brutal headache." Sasuke massaged his throbbing temple. "How was work?"

"Work." Naruto laughed. "To be honest, I spent most of the day being bored. Thanks for asking though. I'll let you get some rest. Take it easy."

"You too." Sasuke hung up and tossed his phone aside with a groan. It was going to be a long rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Publishing ch27 on the 27th? That must be good luck or something. Poor Sasuke learned real quick that you shouldn't drink too much. He should've stayed at Naruto's! Drinking while you've hungover is something I definitely would not recommend. Unfortunately, Sasuke has too much pride to let Naruto take care of him again so he got outta there.


	28. Pizza Delivery

After Sasuke hung up on him, Naruto was no longer relaxing after work. He was worried. Sasuke said he was going to drink and take care of himself, but with his track record, Naruto wasn't convinced. Sasuke could've just agreed to what Naruto asked to placate him. That way, Naruto wouldn't show up at the apartment. He really had no way of knowing unless he showed up and checked for himself.

Though his instincts told him that it wouldn't hurt to just go over and _see_ how Sasuke was doing, his brain told him otherwise. If he showed up unannounced, there was the possibility that the dancer would become hostile towards him. Sasuke liked his space. Something told Naruto that he wouldn't react well if Naruto knocked at his door.

With all of that in mind, Naruto came to the conclusion that he would choose to leave Sasuke be and trust that the raven would stick to his word. He silently prayed that he was right. Naruto turned on a movie to distract himself from thoughts of Sasuke being in pain.

The next day—before even rolling out of bed—Naruto sent a text Sasuke's way. He kept it simple, not wanting to overwhelm him first thing in the morning.

(5:46 AM): _Good morning. I hope you're feeling better today_

Naruto went and got ready to keep himself occupied instead of vigilantly monitoring his phone. When he came back after showering, there was a reply waiting for him. Naruto buttoned up his shirt while reading the text over.

(6:06 AM): I am.

(6:10 AM): _Good :) Is it okay if I come see you after practice?_

Naruto sent a text back rather quickly. Not much time had passed since they last saw each other, but to Naruto it felt like ages. If he had it his way, he would choose to spend every waking moment with Sasuke. He was happy to hear his text tone chime.

(6:13 AM): Yeah. Meet me at the apartment later.

Naruto smiled at the text and clutched his phone to his chest. Work would be more bearable with something to look forward to. He tucked the phone away in his pocket and finished getting ready—the smile on his face remaining there until he left the house.

******

On the way over to Sasuke's apartment, Naruto did his best to look put together in the car. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other running through his hair; fluffing his spikes out. Moving to his shirt, Naruto adjusted his tie and pulled the knot tighter. He swerved out of the way of a cone that was in the middle of the road for some reason. He was lucky. He almost didn't see the tip of the orange plastic.

Naruto had better luck on the way up to the apartment. With both his hands free, he was able to fix the rest of his appearance. He flipped up the collar of his jacket so it rested along his neck. Next were the cuffs of his shirt. They had become messy. Naruto set them so they wrapped around his wrists neatly.

He inhaled deeply and knocked on the door. Every second that Sasuke didn't answer and left him to stand in the hallway raised the pace of his thumping heart.

_He might not be here. He could've went out to get something. Or... he purposefully invited me over knowing he wouldn't be here... That would-_

"Hey," Sasuke said, his face peering out from behind the door.

Naruto felt himself breathe easier. Seeing Sasuke stand before him was a great relief. He let his hand rest on the door frame.

"Hi. Can I come in?" It was always polite to ask, even if invited.

"No," Sasuke said.

Naruto's face fell. Not long after, Sasuke spoke again.

"I was just joking. Come in." He pushed the door open so there was enough room for Naruto to fit through.

Naruto walked inside and made his way over to the couch. He understood how Sakura felt about his house as he did so. He had been to Sasuke's apartment so many times that navigating around it was like second nature. If Sasuke asked for a roll of paper towels, he would've trotted over to the third cupboard from the right in the kitchen and tossed them to him.

Sasuke yawned and walked over to the couch. He perched himself on one of the arm rests, covering his mouth.

"Sorry, practice was exhausting."

"Tell me about it." Naruto turned so he was facing the dancer.

"Though my hangover is gone, my energy isn't all the way back. Let's just say, I was glad to finally be able to go home," Sasuke paused. "Auditions for the next show are soon."

"That's exciting. What's your next show?"

"No idea. Mr.Hatake doesn't like to tell us until after." Sasuke rubbed his leg that was hanging off the couch. "It always makes me so curious as to what it could be."

"You'll find out soon," Naruto said. "Maybe this time you'll get an even larger part."

Sasuke smiled. "Maybe." He looked over and made eye contact with Naruto before his gaze flickered in another direction. "Are you hungry? I know it's around dinner time."

"I am, but it's okay. I can eat later."

"It would be rude if I let you starve. I can always order some pizza or something." Sasuke whipped out his phone. "What toppings do you like on your pizza?"

"I'm not picky. I'll eat whatever you put in front of me," Naruto said with a laugh. "Order whatever you like."

Sasuke dialed and put the phone up to his ear. Naruto listened as he ordered. Well, he mostly stared at Sasuke and thought about how adorable he looked. Whenever Sasuke was focused, he always had a serious expression on his face, almost like he was mad. His eyebrows furrowed together over his brooding eyes.

"It'll be twenty minutes." Sasuke set the phone down. "We got twenty minutes to kill."

"That's not too long. We can watch something."

Sasuke snaked down the couch and grabbed the remote. He tossed it to Naruto, who caught it.

"Put on anything you want."

Naruto turned the TV on and scrolled through the channels. Nothing seemed to catch his interest. What really caught his interest was sitting only a couple feet away from him playing with his fingers and staring ahead at the flashing screen.

When his hand grew weary of continually tapping, he left the channel he last landed on. Sasuke looked confused.

"A baking show? You like baking shows?"

"I couldn't find anything else. Besides, look how good that cake looks." Naruto pointed to the chocolate cake on the TV. Shows about food never failed to invoke hunger in himself. His stomach growled as an array of colorful desserts passed by.

"It does look pretty good."

They spent the next couple minutes in silence; watching the mouth-watering pastries. Naruto made a small comment here and there, but other than that, it was quiet. At one of the many commercial breaks, Sasuke nudged Naruto on the shoulder.

"I meant to say something, but I'm sorry if I acted like an idiot when I got drunk."

"You didn't... But I did mean to ask... Did you, er, mean what you said to me?" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, the question coming out in a hushed tone. With the volume of the commercials, he could barely hear himself. Sasuke moved closer to Naruto and cupped a hand around his ear.

"What was that? You're uncharacteristically quiet."

Naruto cleared his throat and tried again, nerves running rampant in his belly. "I said, uh, did you mean what you said to me? Y'know, the night you were drunk?"

Sasuke's eyebrows raised. Naruto could tell from the way his lips were pressed together that he was thinking about the statement intensely.

"I don't remember what I said that night, if I'm being honest."

"Oh." Naruto realized with a spike of fear that meant he would have to fill Sasuke in on what was said.

"Uhhh well..." Naruto took in one last breath before spitting it out. "We were fighting over a wine bottle and you fell into my lap. You said you liked kissing me after trying to sh me." He watched Sasuke closely to see how he would take the news. "Don't worry, nothing happened. I laid you down on the couch not long after you started getting really flirty."

Sasuke groaned loudly and stuffed his face into the cushions along the back of the couch. Despite his mumblings, Naruto could make out what he was saying (mostly).

"You said I didn't make myself look like an idiot. Ugh. I shouldn't have believed you."

"You didn't."

"Yes I did."

"You're avoiding the question, and me," Naruto said. This prompted Sasuke to pull himself out of the couch. Black hair clung to his face, obscuring most of his features besides a sliver of mouth that was turned downwards.

"Did you mean it?" Naruto asked again, searching for Sasuke's eyes beneath his hair to look into.

This was it. The two of them had sent their share of mixed signals back and forth. Naruto was taking it upon himself to finally end all of that. He stared at Sasuke, his gaze not lifting a single inch.

Sasuke was back to fiddling around with his fingers. While looking what Naruto perceived as down, he answered in a whisper.

"...Yes."

Naruto didn't stop the smile that took over the majority of his face. Hearing Sasuke admit that he really did like kissing him was so glorious that he didn't believe it at first.

"Really? That wasn't the alcohol talking?"

In a surprising move of boldness, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's face and kissed him. Naruto didn't have time to process. He let the kiss happen, feeling Sasuke's soft lips mingle with his own. Sasuke pulled away in a couple seconds, not letting the kiss linger on.

"Does that seem like alcohol talking?" His breath was short; face flushed.

"You could be drunk right now, I don't kn-"

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Naruto was interrupted by a series of loud knocks at the door. Sasuke smiled and rose from the couch.

"Looks like the pizza is here." He walked over to the door, leaving Naruto's head buzzing and a dopey grin stamped on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke was direct for once in his life. About damn time!! These two oblivious idiots kill me and I'm writing them. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter :)


	29. Focus

Kissing Naruto before auditions wasn't Sasuke's smartest idea. He had to prepare to try even harder than last time and here he was thinking about the kiss and lightly swooning over it. He knew he surprised the blonde by how he flinched when Sasuke grabbed his face. If he was Naruto, he would've been shocked too. When it came to romance and romantic encounters, Sasuke wasn't known for being assertive. He passively waited for the other person to make the moves.

A kiss, however, seemed like the best way to affirm Naruto's question. There was no better way to prove that he liked kissing Naruto than to do it. Actions spoke louder than words.

As much as he liked thinking about the kiss and the possibility of more down the road, Sasuke had priorities. The days leading up to auditions were always hectic and draining. Sasuke was split between practicing in the studio and in his compact apartment. That alone was enough. On top of that, he didn't need to think about _feelings_. With that in mind, he chased thoughts of Naruto out of his head and restarted the song he was dancing to.

The routine for auditions this time around was more challenging than it had been for the Swan Lake auditions. It took Sasuke longer to grasp the steps and feel like he had it under control. Even now practicing, he wasn't fully confident. Several of the more complex parts of the dance were shaky. He caught himself messing up the footwork.

 _I got this. I'll practice until daybreak if that's what it takes. I'll get this routine perfectly_ , Sasuke said in his head. He came out of a pirouette and took a sip of water.

_After hydrating, of course._

Sasuke set the water bottle down and prepared to start the dance over again. Even if he made a minor error, he went from the top. There was no room for a toe to be out of place. Adhering to Mr.Hatake's strict standards even while practicing alone would help him to be as disciplined as possible.

He practiced well into the night; eventually passing out on the couch in his tank top and shorts.

The day of auditions arrived shortly. Sasuke woke up that morning full of excitement and determination to do well. He made scrambled eggs and downed them with orange juice. He had to be at the top of his game—and that included making sure his stomach wasn't empty.

In the shower, the pre-audition jitters were setting in. He nervously shampooed his hair; letting the water ripple off of his body and collect in the drain. Sasuke recited the order of the dance in his head while moving to get some of the body wash resting in the corner.

His hand brushed the bottle but missed, throwing him off balance. He started to wobble, nearly falling down. Sasuke forced himself back upright. He had to be more careful. If he wasn't, he would hurt himself during a stupid task like showering.

Figuring that was enough of the shower for the day, Sasuke stepped out onto the mat at the foot of the shower. He dried off. The soft terrycloth of the towel felt nice on his skin. He wiped the remaining droplets that clung to him off and went back to get dressed into what he would wear to his audition.

One blank tank top and pair of shorts later and Sasuke was ready to go. He threw on a light jacket over his outfit and grabbed his duffel bag before heading out the door.

******

"You know the drill," Mr.Hatake said. "Wait outside, with the exception of Iliana. You're up first."

Iliana, a cocky girl with a long braid, smirked. "Awesome."

Sasuke filed out of the room along with the rest of the class. To the hall he went. He leaned against the wall, letting his head hang down. He could've watched everyone around him or made a sad attempt to converse, but he felt no desire to. Small talk was painful unless it was with Naruto. Talk with him, no matter how small, never seemed that way.

_Focus, idiot._

Sasuke straightened up. His internal monologue was right: He had to focus. It would be his turn before he knew it. He needed to use what little time he had to make sure the audition piece was cemented in his head.

Sasuke pushed off the wall and cleared his mind to the best of his ability. In the space that Naruto occupied, dance took over. Sasuke blocked out the light chatter around him and he moved his feet to fourth position.

"Practicing?" Ino smirked. Sasuke dropped his arms and stood with his legs back together. He hadn't noticed her nearby.

"Trying to."

"Don't let me interrupt," Ino said, her pale eyes intently looking at Sasuke like a lion hungry for it's next meal.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and fell back into fourth position. Fuck it. Ino could watch all she wanted. He wouldn't let that get to him. Blocking out her presence and piercing gaze, he began to dance.

All of the practice had paid off. He didn't falter during a single move. He powered through piqué turns and assemblés— finishing into an arabesque. He looked ahead at Ino and grinned. Ino slowly clapped.

"Impressive, I'll admit. But I think I have you beat. That's nothing new, though."

"Let's see you do it then. Right here," Sasuke said. He moved out of the arabesque and back to a normal stance.

Ino shook her head. "I'm saving my talent for Mr.Hatake. Good luck though." She gave him one last smirk and walked off into the crowd of dancers.

The good luck didn't sound the least bit genuine, but Sasuke was used to that from the coldhearted blonde. Sasuke resigned to waiting his turn. He watched classmate after classmate go into the room. Each time that his name wasn't called, he felt a burst of annoyance.

"Sasuke," At last, Mr.Hatake called his name.

Sasuke, one of the only people left in the hallway, stood up from the crouched squat he was in and walked towards the door.

"I almost thought you forgot I was in class," Sasuke said when the door closed behind him.

"Of course I didn't forget. You can't always be one of the first ones to go. No favoritism," Mr.Hatake reminded him.

"Whatever you say." Sasuke cracked his knuckles and did a couple short stretches. "I'm ready."

"Right to the point. I like that." Mr.Hatake went over to the sound system and brought the song back to the beginning.

"This will take just one moment."

"I was waiting for awhile. What's one more minute?" Sasuke used the brief time before his audition began to bring his breathing down to a steady inhale and exhale.

_I got this._

The words echoed over and over until Mr.Hatake glanced at Sasuke, signalling him to get into position. Sasuke moved his feet to fifth position and raised his arms to fourth. From the very first note of the song, Sasuke was in charge of keeping up with the fast rhythm. There were no pauses. He flung himself around the room in the form of twirls and jumps.

The longer the song went on, the more it picked up. Sasuke could hear his shallow breathing and felt the faintness that was coming over him, but he ignored it. All that mattered was getting through the dance and getting through the dance he did. With a final grand jeté, Sasuke landed with his chin up towards the ceiling. He did his best to conceal all signs of exhaustion.

Mr.Hatake scribbled on his clipboard; the scratch of the pencil filling the air previously taken up by quick string instruments.

"You're good to go." Mr.Hatake looked up from the clipboard, dismissing Sasuke from the room. Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. The second he was out of the room, he jogged over to the drinking fountain and lapped desperately at the cold stream of water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say in this end note. I'm just glad I finally finished this chapter. It was causing me more issues than I anticipated.


	30. Drink To That

Naruto moved the razor methodically along his chin. He had a date with Sasuke in an hour. It would be their first official date and he wanted to look his best, which meant shaving the small amount of stubble that accumulated on his face. He was usually pretty good about keeping himself clean-shaven, but admittedly, he had been busy lately.

Naruto continued shaving until the sink was full of small hairs and his face was bare. Rinsing the sink off, he looked in the mirror and winked at his reflection. All he had left to do was find something to wear and he would be set to go.

Looking over his closet, Naruto couldn't find the outfit he was thinking of. Instead of the intricate and dazzling outfit he planned on wearing, he had to settle on a boring white and black suit. He made a mental note to organize his wardrobe at some point and buttoned up his shirt. To add some color to his look, Naruto threaded a purple tie through the collar of his shirt.

Traffic on the way to pick Sasuke up was horrendous. Naruto was thankful he decided to leave early. He would be incredibly embarrassed if he showed up late. By the time he reached the raven's house, the obnoxious sound of horns echoed in his ears.

"We kinda match. How lame." Sasuke sat in the passenger's seat. Naruto looked over his outfit. Sasuke was wearing a black blazer, a purple button up shirt, and black pants.

"You wanna go change?"

"That'll take too much time. It's okay... I guess." Sasuke strapped in. "How far away is the restaurant?"

"Not too far. It might take longer because of traffic." Naruto looked over his shoulder before backing out. It was clear.

"I'm glad I dressed properly for the occasion. I didn't want to be over or under dressed," Sasuke said.

"You're dressed perfectly. No matter what you wear, you look perfect." Naruto flashed Sasuke a quick smile before pulling out onto the main road. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Naruto saw the hint of a smile.

"If I showed up in a garbage bag, you'd say I looked fine."

"You're not wrong."

The roads had cleared slightly, but were still pretty congested. He and Sasuke were moving at a slow crawl. To pass the time, Naruto played around with the radio.

"I don't think that's the safest thing to be doing." Sasuke shot him an uneasy glance.

"We're barely even moving, it's okay. I wouldn't put you in danger." Naruto scanned the stations, seeking out something worth listening to. He stopped on an electronic dance song with an addicting beat. Grooving in his seat, he turned up the volume.

Sasuke looked less than thrilled. He scrunched up his nose and moved to turn the song down a couple of notches.

"What the fuck is this?"

"A good song," Naruto replied. "You don't like it?"

"It's annoying. I can't stand it."

"Aweeee give it a chance."

"I'm good," Sasuke scoffed. "I'll let you enjoy it, but I'm picking the next song."

The rest of the car ride was back and forth. Naruto would have a turn, then Sasuke would, then back to Naruto—repeat. Naruto chose pop songs and dance music. Sasuke chose songs that Naruto described as angsty. Naruto didn't mind Sasuke's selections as much as Sasuke minded his.

They were on a Sasuke song when Naruto pulled up to the restaurant. He surveyed the parking lot.

"I think there's a spot right there." Sasuke pointed ahead.

Naruto strained to see where Sasuke was referring to. He inched the car forward slowly. Finally, he saw it. Naruto pulled into the empty spot and put the car into park.

"Good eyesight," Naruto praised. "Who knows how long we could've been looking."

Sasuke undid the seat belt and got out of the car first. Naruto tucked his keys away and walked around to the other side where Sasuke was.

"Is it okay if I hold your hand?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded and held out his hand. Naruto laced their fingers together and led Sasuke up to the front of the restaurant. Warmth from their joined hands acted as a defense to the biting night air. If it wasn't for that, Naruto figured he would've been twenty times colder; not to mention how warm it made him feel inside to be connected with Sasuke.

While they walked, it hit Naruto. Anyone could've seen them holding hands at that very moment. Sasuke was like his secret, but the idea of other people knowing that Sasuke was _his_ excited him. Just thinking about it caused a surge of excitement to course throughout his body.

Like the gentleman he was, Naruto held the door open for Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't protest, stepping inside the restaurant. The lighting wasn't much better than the natural brightness from the stars among the inky sky. Lights that lowly hung from the ceiling were dimly lit. People sat along benches and stood in groups.

"It's so crowded," Sasuke quietly remarked in Naruto's ear.

"It is. Luckily we won't have to wait." Keeping his hand wrapped around Sasuke's, Naruto walked with him through the cluster of restaurant patrons to where the hostess stood.

"We have a reservation," Naruto spoke over the antsy crowd.

"Name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"One moment... Ah yes, Mr.Uzumaki. Right with me." She grabbed two menus and walked deeper into the restaurant. Naruto followed closely behind her. The table the hostess brought them to was situated in the middle of a sea of tables. She laid the menus down at a two person table and smiled.

"A server will be over shortly."

"Okay. Thanks." Naruto sat down.

Sasuke sat down shortly after. He leafed through the menu like it was a pamphlet.

"Everything here is so expensive."

"It's on me."

"You know how I am with the whole you-paying-for-everything thing." Sasuke lowered the menu and looked across the table.

"I know, I know," Naruto said. "We haven't even ordered yet and you're worried about paying. Relax."

Sasuke sighed. "You're right." He turned his attention back to the menu. "We should worry about what we're going to get first."

"Good idea." Naruto skimmed over the dinner selection. They had a lot to choose from. His mouth practically salivated just from reading the descriptions of some of the dishes.

"Hello. I'm Adam. I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you something to drink to start you off?" A server with floppy brown hair asked as he came up to their table.

Naruto looked to Sasuke. "You can go first."

Sasuke tapped the plastic cover of the menu. "I'll have water."

"Just water? That's not very exciting," Naruto said.

"Okay, okay. Water with lemon," Sasuke corrected.

"Wooooow you're crazy," Naruto joked with obvious sarcasm. He forgot the waiter was there for a moment. "Sorry about that. I'll have the Cabernet Sauvignon."

"Coming right up." The server nodded and walked away.

"I still have no idea what I'm going to get." Sasuke picked the menu back up.

"We're in the same boat," Naruto said. "You know what, I have an idea."

"Hm?"

"Let's pick for each other."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose, making him look baffled. "Pick for each other?"

"Yeah. You pick what I should get and I pick for you," Naruto elaborated. "It'll be fun."

"I don't know..."

"I promise to not pick anything terrible for you." Naruto placed his hand above his heart.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a minute. His face was contorted with concentration.

"Fine. But if you lied about not picking anything terrible, I'll end you."

Naruto picked the menu up with a new vigor. Picking for Sasuke would be fun (not to mention a chance to prove how well he knew him). Naruto had many dinners with him by now, and he had a general idea of what Sasuke liked.

The two men stayed silent, both going over menus until the server returned with their drinks.

"For you." He set down a clear glass with a lemon on the side in front of Sasuke. With his other hand, he had a dark bottle.

"I'll fill your glass. You want the whole bottle, correct?"

"Yeah that's fine." Naruto pushed the empty wine glass over to the edge of the table. The waiter poured the wine till the glass was about three quarters full. He set the bottle down in the center of the table.

"Are you ready to order?"

"We are," Naruto said, grinning. Sasuke still looked a tad uneasy, though not to the extent as before.

"Perfect." The waiter flipped open his small notepad, pen poised in hand. "What can I get you?"

"I'll get the seared diver scallops," Naruto recited.

"What about you?" The server looked up from the notepad over at Sasuke. Sasuke looked down again before placing the order.

"I'll have the beef tenderloin with blackberry dressing."

"Very well. It'll be ready soon." The server picked up their menus, smiled at the dining couple, and dashed off to another table.

"I've never had whatever the hell you ordered for me," Sasuke said after drinking some of his water. "Sounds weird."

"It's good. I'm sorry in advance if you don't like it," Naruto apologized. "What you ordered sounds good, though I haven't ever had blackberry dressing before."

"It's some fancy pretentious restaurant thing." Sasuke shrugged.

"You think I like pretentious food?"

"Well, you eat ramen for most of your meals, so no."

"Interesting choice then-" Naruto let the whole sentence register in his brain. "Hey! I can be classy too." He stubbornly crossed his arms.

"As you look like a pouty child," Sasuke teased. "Suuuure." He laughed into the glass of water.

Naruto uncrossed his arms, slightly embarrassed. "I can."

"Oh, I believe you." Sasuke's eyes glinted with playfulness. "The classiest."

"How did auditions go?" Naruto effectively changed the subject.

"Good, I think. You never know for sure." Sasuke bit his lip. "I practiced a lot."

"You always do," Naruto said. Sasuke's determination with his profession was admirable to say the least. The majority of people he knew just skated by, doing the bare minimum. Not Sasuke. He knew the raven wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection.

"I can't stand to see Ino's gloating face anymore. She truly believes she's better than me and it's irritating."

"I have a good feeling this time."

"You always do. But thanks."

"I can see it now." Naruto moved his hands and looked wondrously off into the distance. "Sasuke Uchiha as the lead. Your name in lights. The crowd going wild."

Sasuke laughed, covering his mouth. "That's cute."

"I'm serious. You're amazing. The way you dance is incredible. I still remember the first time I saw you on stage."

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke looked interested, his face leaning in more towards Naruto. "Tell me."

"It's dumb." Heat rushed to Naruto's cheeks.

"Oh no, I want to know now."

"Fine," Naruto groaned. "I'm only saying it once though."

"I'll make sure to listen extra carefully," Sasuke said.

"It was the first show of Aida. You were in the ensemble." Naruto smiled as he recalled the memory out loud. "You weren't on stage very long, but you danced so well that I couldn't get you out of my head."

"Really?" Even under the dim lighting, Naruto could see the blush on Sasuke's face. He nodded.

"Really."

"I find that hard to believe. There were a lot of other ensemble members. I didn't look any different than them."

"In terms of clothing? Yeah. But it's your skill and effort that sets you apart from the rest of them."

Sasuke smiled. "That means a lot that someone notices my effort. Thank you."

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true," Naruto said.

"So you've seen me since Aida... interesting."

"Yep. Very first show with you in it."

"Have you always liked ballet?" Sasuke asked.

"No. It became an acquired taste as I got older. Though, I do remember going to one show with my family when I was a kid. I think I was bored."

"That's understandable. Kids are definitely not my favorite guests at shows," Sasuke said with a shudder. "Them and the people that don't silence their phones."

"I hate when people are like that. It's so disrespectful," Naruto agreed. "What about you?"

"I always silence my phone when I attend shows."

"No. I mean have you always liked ballet?"

"Oh," Sasuke paused. "No."

Naruto was surprised by his answer. He thought Sasuke had been in dance classes since birth. At least, that's how the article he read awhile back made it sound.

"When did you get into it?"

Sasuke looked away before looking back at Naruto. "Young."

"Were your parents supportive?"

Once again, Sasuke's eyes darted away. When they came back, he adopted an expression of dullness.

"Anyways, I think our food is ready."

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to..." Naruto tried to make eye contact with Sasuke, but the dancer we looking behind him.

"Look."

Naruto frowned but played along. He stretched his neck, trying to spot the server. Sure enough, there the man was.

"Sorry for the wait." His hands were full with their food. "The beef." He set one of the plates down in front of Sasuke. "And the scallops." He placed the other meal in front of Naruto.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"We're good, thanks," Sasuke answered for the two of them.

"Very well. Enjoy your meal." The server bowed his head and walked off.

"Now we switch." Naruto picked up his plate stupidly by the bottom where it was the hottest. He winced, moving his fingers to the edge of the plate.

Sasuke was smarter about the switch. He held the plate lightly by the sides. They exchanged their dinners. Naruto looked down at the meal Sasuke chose for him. The beef was well-done and black at the edges. Resting under the beef were pieces of asparagus and smeared red sauce that he guessed was the blackberry dressing. Before eating, he allowed himself to get a whiff of the meal.

"Mhmmm this smells good."

"Yours doesn't smell... too bad," Sasuke said. "Not as seafood-y as I expected."

Naruto picked up his fork and knife and began cutting the beef up into edible pieces. 'We should try them at the same time."

Sasuke looked closer at the scallops. "Alright."

Naruto speared one of the pieces of beef on his fork and lifted it up to his mouth. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. 3... 2... 1." Naruto thrust the fork into his mouth and chewed on the meat. The first thing he noticed was how nicely seasoned it was. He watched for Sasuke's reaction to the scallops. Sasuke thoughtfully chewed, nodding as he did so.

"Mine is pretty good."

"Mine too," Naruto seconded. "I guess the conclusion to all this is that we're good at choosing for each other."

Sasuke raised his glass of water. "I'll drink to that."

Naruto mirrored him and raised his own. He clinked his wine with Sasuke's water, the sharp noise of glass on glass ringing throughout the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for 300 kudos!! You guys are the best :)


	31. The List

"Hello everyone. Did you all come prepared to dance today?" Mr.Hatake stood at the front of the room, looking the class over. Sasuke, who was in the front, nodded. Several of his peers around him let out low energy murmurs. Overall, he didn't detect a great deal of enthusiasm.

"I'll take that as a no," The instructor sighed. "Very well. Maybe you'll all feel more ready after we warm up. Hinata, go grab the barres for us."

"Y-Yes Sir." Hinata scuttled over to the closet where the barres were stored and pulled them out one by one.

"Only four people to a barre, please," Mr.Hatake said.

Once the barres were set up, Sasuke stalked over to the barre with the least amount of people. Only Iliana, his classmate with the braid, was there.

"Wow, I get to be with the teacher's pet. How lucky of me."

Sasuke didn't realize that she was addressing him at first. "Excuse me?"

"Oh nothing," Iliana said. "I just said how this is a great honor."

Uhhhh... thanks?"

"No, really I mean wow. What's it like to be clearly favored?" The look on Iliana's face hovered between mockery and irritation.

"I'm not favored. Mr.Hatake gives all of us the same treatment."

"Psh," She scoffed. "That's why you get private lessons from him."

"You don't know anything about my so-called 'private lessons'. For all you know, I may not even get them. Besides, if you want private lessons yourself, you could just ask." Sasuke glared. He didn't have time to argue with some girl he didn't even talk to. She could remain jealous all she wanted. That wasn't his problem. Mr.Hatake looked over in their direction. Sasuke turned away from his annoying barre-mate and looked ahead.

Mr.Hatake walked over to one of the barres that had open space. He placed a single hand, looking towards the mirror at his reflection.

"First position we go slowly pointe foot to the front and flex and stretch back to first then front and second demi-plié," He instructed the class while moving vaguely through the steps. "Two times and straight to the left."

One of the casual piano songs played over the speakers and Sasuke began moving through the routine. It was a fairly easy one and he wasn't having much trouble with it, though he couldn't say the same for everyone in class. Mr.Hatake was slowly pacing around the room with his hawk-like stare detecting any faults.

"Hinata heel forward."

Sasuke didn't seek to confirm her error. Instead, he finished with the demi-plié; his knees slightly bent.

"Good, good," Mr.Hatake mused, getting ready to deliver the next round of steps.

"Fifth now. From fifth position prepare and it's twice in front and twice in second." Mr.Hatake was back on the barre and extending his foot in different directions. "Then you go back in second three times and closed in fifth."

Sasuke watched closely and lifted his head, ready for the next sequence. During this part of the routine, Mr.Hatake was reiterating the steps by speaking out loud as the dancers went through his instructed beats.

"And one and two and fifth and fifth. Front, side, behind. In front and behind and back and fifth. One more time a tiny bit faster." The music sped up to match Mr.Hatake's command.

Sasuke repeated it over again, only changing how quick he performed the moves. He caught Mr.Hatake's gaze pass over him.

"Leo pick up the pace. You're going the same speed as you were the first time," The teacher said to an exhausted boy to Sasuke's left.

"Stop, stop." Mr.Hatake motioned to the girl by the sound system who cut the music. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards Mr.Hatake with nervous anticipation. It was never good when he completely put an end to what they were doing.

"We're going to do that over again. Too many of you were making mistakes."

Following his statement, there were several groans. Mr.Hatake silenced the complainers with a narrowed glare. "For every annoyed noise, you'll do it an additional time so think about that next time you decide to protest."

Sasuke resisted rolling his eyes, though more at his class than Mr.Hatake. If they were up to his standard, they would've been already done with warming up. Sasuke knew it was pointless though. He put his energy into making sure to be precise in his movements again as the song started over.

Mr.Hatake's strictness did the trick. No one was making any mistakes, evident by Mr.Hatake's silence. He nodded approvingly.

"Okay. One more and we'll move to warming up without the barres," Mr.Hatake said. "Fondu to the front. Plié front en l'air. Fondu to the side. Plié out and carry back. Fondu to the back, brush it front and carry side with your arm and leg together. Rond de jambe twice. Plié and then reverse it."

Sasuke's thighs burned while he moved his leg to the front, to the side, and back. He powered through the leg-intensive sequence and ignored the signals coming from his body for relief. He glanced over at Iliana. The smug look was washed off her face.

"Keep going. You're almost done," Mr.Hatake encouraged.

Sasuke inhaled deeply, sweat rolling down his forehead. He did a rond de jambe, moving his leg in a circular motion. He was relieved when he made it through the entire routine front and back. Sasuke fixed his posture that was beginning to slump and stood up straight. The class finished seconds after him.

The girl standing near the sound system turned off the song as instructed by Mr.Hatake. The absence of the practice music made the bodily noises of everyone stand out; light coughs, tired sighs, heavy breathing.

"I'll have someone different put away the barres. It would be unfair to make Hinata do it twice. Any volunteers?" Mr.Hatake asked. No one raised their hand.

'"I didn't figure anyone would jump at the chance. Iliana, you do it."

Iliana looked at Mr.Hatake in disbelief, but didn't put up a fight. She scowled at Sasuke and he heard her mumble something along the lines of 'teacher's pet'. She grabbed their barre first, not warning Sasuke that she was planning on moving it, and nearly took his hand off.

"When those are all away, we'll move to doing some work on the floor."

******

About twenty minutes of practicing without the barres and Mr.Hatake concluded the warm-ups. Normally, this is when they would go into working on whatever show they were currently doing. But since Swan Lake was wrapped up, it was a bit different. Mr.Hatake grabbed his clipboard and stood at the front of the room.

"I'm sure all of you are curious about what we're doing next."

The class nodded. Mr.Hatake smiled and looked down at his clipboard.

"Any guesses?"

Nothing came to Sasuke's mind. He ran a mental catalog on every show he was aware of, but most of what he came up with was either too obscure, already performed by them, or didn't seem like something Mr.Hatake would choose. Lucky for him, his classmates were full of ideas.

"Romeo and Juliet?"

"Carmen?"

"Spartacus?"

"No, no, and no," Mr.Hatake shot all of the ideas down. "How about this; I'll tell you a little about the plot and you guess what you think it is. Sound good?"

"Yes," The class said relatively in unison.

"It's a more lighthearted ballet that falls a bit on the comedy side. A man has been reading stories about knights and chivalry. He decides to take his servant with him on an adventure to do great things and defend virtue. Any guesses?"

Something about the description jostled Sasuke's memory. It sounded familiar. The only problem was that he couldn't put a name to the plot.

"Yes Angie?"

"Is it Marguerite and Armand?"

"No. Two more guesses," Mr.Hatake said. "Jordan?" He pointed to a boy with blonde hair.

"The Bolt?"

Mr.Hatake shook his head. "Nope. One more."

"La Bayadere?" Someone Sasuke couldn't see called out.

"Incorrect. All three guesses were wrong. Maybe in addition to practicing outside of class, I should make you learn more about different ballets," Mr.Hatake sighed. "The correct answer is-"

"Oh! I got it," Ino victoriously yelled, cutting Mr.Hatake off. "It's Don Quixote!"

"I don't appreciate being interrupted, but yes. You're right," Mr.Hatake said. "Good job Ino."

Sasuke could've facepalmed. He knew Don Quixote. It was a ballet based off a novel that he read back in his youth. He found the story interesting, though hard to read at parts.

"I'm going to read the roles now so pay attention."

Sasuke turned attentively in the direction of Mr.Hatake. This was it. He finally got to find out his role. He could hardly stand the wait.

"I'll start with the major roles and then move to the ensemble and more minor ones. Some of you will be having a couple roles, especially if they're not that significant."

Unlike some of the people Sasuke came in contact with in the entertainment industry, Mr.Hatake didn't sugarcoat. He made it very clear that not all roles were created equal and Sasuke appreciated the blunt honesty.

"The Duchess will be played by Maria. The Duke will be played by Ansel."

First two names called and neither were Sasuke. He swallowed his disappointment and listened on.

"Lorenzo will be played by Leo. Lorenzeo's wife will be played by Hinata. Mercedes will be played by Angie. Espada will be played by Jordan."

Sasuke clenched his fist. Still nothing. He felt deflated, but held out hope. It wasn't over yet.

"Gamache will be played by Trevor. Piccilia will be played by Iliana. Juanita will be played by Ino."

Sasuke glanced over to Ino. She didn't look pleased with her assigned role. 

"Kitri will be played by Jenna. Basilio will be played by Joey."

Sasuke's heart sank in his chest. From what he remembered, Kitri and Basilio were pretty high up there when it came to main characters in the novel.

_I can't wait to see what ensemble role I'll get this time. Maybe I'll be a tavern worker._

"Sancho Pansa will be played by Brian."

_Listening to this is painful_ , Sasuke thought bitterly. Then, it happened.

"Don Quixote will be played by Sasuke."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. He looked at Mr.Hatake, seeking an explanation, but his teacher didn't look up from the clipboard. Sasuke couldn't believe it. Just a few seconds ago, he thought he was ending up in the ensemble and yet instead, he was actually going to be...

"The lead? He has one of the main _leads?!_ " Ino fumed to a pair of girls next to her whose names hadn't been called yet. Sasuke heard her and smiled. She was positively pissed off and he was enjoying every second of it.

"Moving onto the rest of the roles..."

When Mr.Hatake finished going through the list, Sasuke dug out his phone from his bag. He was so excited that he nearly called the wrong person. When he finally found who he was looking for, he hit the call button and put the phone up to his ear. There was only a single ring before they answered.

"Sasuke? Aren't you in practice right now?" Naruto's confused voice came through the phone.

"Yeah. Guess what?" Sasuke smiled into the phone.

"What?"

"You'll never believe what role I got."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Sasuke you get that role baby!!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of him. He truly deserves it. Sorry for all the OC's this chap, but unfortunately with the main characters in Naruto, there aren't that many more (that aren't villains) so I think using made up people works better. Plus, it doesn't take away from the story as much :) Hope you enjoyed as always <3


	32. An Evening Of Surprises

Upon hearing Sasuke's news, Naruto had to make a detour on his way home from work to a local Party City. Well, he didn't _have_ to, but he wanted to—so Party City he went. The store was empty except for a couple bored employees and countless decorations stuffed in aisles. Naruto hummed thoughtfully and realized he probably should've came up with what to get beforehand. He found himself getting easily lost in all of the colorful supplies.

"Can I help you find anything?" A boy in a baseball cap and uniform walked up Naruto, who was fiddling around with some streamers.

"No thank you. Well," Naruto re-thought his answer. "Kinda. I'm looking for stuff to celebrate someone accomplishing something great."

"Hmmm. Like a graduation?"

"No, no. Not that. More... general."

"A general celebration... Okay. I can do that. Follow me."

Naruto followed the boy all the way passed sweet sixteen displays and summer luau set-ups to the back of the store. The worker picked up a blue banner that when unfurled, would spell out the word 'Congratulations'.

"This comes in red, green, white, gold, silver, or blue."

"Blue is fine, thanks." Naruto took a hold of the banner and set it in his shopping basket.

"Most of the other general stuff should be in this area. Let me know if you need anymore help," The boy said before walking away.

With Naruto left to his own devices, he searched around for suitable decorations fit for Sasuke. Sticking with the blue theme, Naruto found blue party hats, blue lanterns to hang from the ceiling, some tall candles, and a blue tablecloth. He set everything in his basket and walked up to the only register that was open.

"Will that be all?" The cashier asked, bagging the items.

"Ye-" Naruto stopped himself from responding his default. He peered around the cashier's head. An army of balloons floated behind her. "Actually, can I get some of those?"

"Some of what?"

"The balloons." He pointed. She swiveled around, looking over her shoulder.

"Sure. How many?"

"Hmmm." Naruto thought for a moment. "Twenty."

"What color?"

"Blue and white."

"I'll need to blow some more up. Is that fine?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

"One moment." The girl moved out of sight. Naruto stood at the counter and waited patiently. While he waited, he thought about Sasuke. He was excited to see what the raven's reaction would be when he saw all of the decorations. He hoped that he didn't find them corny.

"Twenty balloons." The cashier returned with her hands full of balloon strings that went up towards the ceiling. She handed them over to Naruto, who kept the balloons under a tight grip so they didn't float away.

"Your total comes to $54.07."

Naruto paid with his card. The cashier handed over two plastic bags. Naruto fumbled to hold both of them and the balloons at the same time.

"Have a nice day."

"You too." Naruto left the store and placed all of his purchases in the back seat. The balloons took over most of the empty space, making it hard for Naruto to back out of his parking spot. He had to crane his neck to get a good visual.

Naruto made one last stop at the liquor store. He was already crunched on time, but it wouldn't be a proper celebration without some bubbly champagne. Since he was only getting the one thing, he was in and out in about two minutes.

Back at home, Naruto wasted no time in preparing dinner. He was trying something he and Sasuke saw online last week. Sasuke commented that it looked good, and Naruto wanted to give it a shot. He spread the ingredients out on his counter and began cooking.

Naruto tossed chopped onions into the accumulating pot on the stove and stirred. He went to cut up some carrots when his phone chimed.

(6:30 PM): On my way.

Naruto smiled, his heart giving a couple flutters. The anticipation of seeing Sasuke always made him giddy. He set his phone back down, washed his hands, and resumed cutting vegetables; this time with a dreamy look on his face.

Cooking was going according to plan for the most part. That was, until he added a teaspoon of salt. After he tossed the small beads into the pot, he turned his back to look for the next ingredient. Once he found it, he went to add it to the pot. He was horrified at what he saw. The pot had caught fire.

"Shit," Naruto cursed. He grabbed the lid and shoved it on top of the pot. While he held the lid down, he turned the heat to zero. The fire (thankfully) subsided, but his meal wasn't so fortunate. All that remained was a charred mess.

 _There goes that_ , Naruto thought as he looked over the remains of what at first seemed to be a promising dinner. He would have to come up with something else.

Naruto left the pot to sit on the cooling stove and moved to decorate. Sasuke was going to be there any minute and he didn't want to be unprepared. Naruto contemplated where to set up the decorations. He started with the easiest of the items to place; the tablecloth. Naruto cleaned off the dining room table and spread the cloth out.

As for the Congratulations banner, Naruto decided to hang it up in the kitchen. He suspended a lantern on each side of the banner, making it symmetrical.

Naruto let all the balloons free in the kitchen, filling the space with a mixture of blue and white. He hung the rest of the lanterns in the dining room. He set a blue party hat on top of his head when a loud knock came at the door. It was time.

Naruto flicked the light switch off, submerging the kitchen in darkness. He crouched down behind the counter.

Another knock came a few seconds after the first one, this one more forceful. Naruto stayed in position.

At last, he heard the door creak open. Hesitant footsteps echoed along the tiled floor.

"Naruto? Where are you?" Sasuke's voice rang out. From how distant he sounded, Naruto could tell he wasn't close enough to reveal the decorations yet. He would just have to wait for Sasuke to draw closer.

"I saw your car in the driveway. I know you're here."

_Any second now..._

"This isn't funny," Sasuke huffed. Naruto heard him make his way into the kitchen. He sprung up, turning the lights on. Sasuke recoiled, covering his eyes at the sudden burst of brightness.

"Congratulations!" Naruto yelled, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me," Sasuke said, lowering his hands away from his eyes. He looked around at the decked out kitchen.

"Wait. You did this? All for me?"

"Sure did."

"How...?" Sasuke was at a loss of words. "How did you have time to do this? I told you about my role not that long ago."

Naruto grinned. "I work quick." He grabbed one of the party hats from the stack and nestled it in Sasuke's hair, wrapping the elastic band around his chin. "Now you're festive."

"I'm not wearing this. I look like a five year old."

"You look cute, trust me," Naruto reassured. "Keep it on." He kissed Sasuke's forehead briefly.

"Fine. I'll keep it on. You win." Sasuke blushed and rolled his eyes. "But seriously, you didn't have to do all of this. This is really sweet."

"I wanted to. You deserve it. I mean, how long have you been working to get a lead?"

"Awhile."

"Exactly. So this celebration is warranted," Naruto said. "One problem though."

"What is it?"

"I kind of, uh, burned dinner," Naruto sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was making that vegetable fried rice we saw the other day and it maaaay have caught on fire."

"Were you not paying attention? I swear, sometimes I wonder how you've managed on your own for this long."

"Me too," Naruto said. "I'm sorry. I can try to make something else."

"It's okay. We can just order Chinese," Sasuke suggested. "It's a lot less hazardous."

Naruto frowned. "But this is your celebration dinner. It's supposed to be special."

"You did all this for me. It is special." Sasuke grabbed a blue balloon, holding it before releasing it back into the cluster. "Besides, who said takeout isn't special?"

"Okay. Takeout it is." Naruto grabbed his phone. "What do you want?"

"I think I'm feeling some chicken lo mein tonight."

******

While they waited for their food to arrive, Naruto and Sasuke talked at the kitchen counter about their days.

"You should've seen her face. She was so mad," Sasuke said with a laugh. "It felt so good to get a better role than her."

"I can picture it. I'm surprised she didn't curse you out."

"If Mr.Hatake wasn't there, she would've for sure. I bet in the coming days, she'll find time when we're alone to say something."

"All you have to do is remind her that you're playing the role that the show is literally _named_ after. That should shut her up."

"Oh my god. It so would," Sasuke said. "Not only Ino, but there's this other girl in class who seems to not like me very much."

"Who?"

"Her name is Iliana. I never really noticed her until we were warming up at the same barre today. She was calling me the teacher's pet and kept glaring at me."

"Ignore her. She's probably just jealous." Naruto reached across the counter and rubbed Sasuke's hand. "I would be too if I was in class with you."

Sasuke laughed and smiled at that, his eyes crinkling. "Would you?"

"Oh yeah. You're clearly one of the best."

"Thank you... I don't get it though."

"You don't get what?" Naruto asked.

"I mean, there's a ton of talented dancers in class, but it seems like only I'm getting such shitty comments. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it."

"That is weird. Maybe they feel threatened by you," Naruto offered.

"I guess... I don't know. All I know is that I'm excited for this role. I'm going to work harder than ever."

"You always work hard. This will be no exception."

"This time I have a lead though. I have to work harder."

"You better not work yourself into the hospital again," Naruto warned, giving Sasuke a look. "No overworking yourself."

"I won't."

"Promise me."

"I, Sasuke Uchiha, promise to not overwork myself." Sasuke held his hand above his heart, reminding Naruto of when he himself did it at the restaurant.

"That looks familiar."

"I bet it does." Sasuke smiled. He opened his mouth to add something, but a knock at the door silenced him.

"I'll get it." Naruto walked out of the kitchen and over to the front door. He opened the door, pulling out his wallet. "How much do I owe you again?"

"Your total comes to $23 and 40 cents," The man delivering the food said, holding a bag and two drinks in his hands. Naruto didn't bother with his card. He pulled out 24 dollars in cash and handed it to the guy. "Keep the change."

"Thanks. Here you go." He gave the bag and drinks to Naruto. "Have a good rest of your night."

"You too." Naruto closed the door and carried their dinner back to the kitchen. Sasuke looked over hungrily.

"That smells so good."

"Doesn't it?" Naruto set the drinks down first. "Pick whichever one you want." They both had chosen mango lemonades, so their drinks were identical. Sasuke picked one of the drinks while Naruto sorted out the food.

"Lo mein for you." Naruto took out the takeout carton and set it in front of Sasuke. "And ramen for me." He pulled out the foam bowl that contained his precious noodles and grinned.

"I think you were more excited to get your ramen than to see me," Sasuke said.

"That's not true at all! I think part of the reason I burnt the food was because you texted me," Naruto insisted, taking out the two fortune cookies in the bag. "One for me. One for you.

"Are you saying it's my fault you ruined dinner?" Sasuke took the fortune cookie.

"No, no. It just distracted me. Point is, I was very excited to see you. Even the best ramen doesn't measure up to spending five minutes with you."

"You're so sappy." Sasuke turned away. Naruto caught his smile before his face fell out of view. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Well," Naruto glanced passed the kitchen into the dining room. "We were gonna eat in there."

"You set up a tablecloth and everything. That's cute," Sasuke said as he walked into the dining room for himself.

"I had some candles I was going to put out too, but I didn't have time."

"It still looks good without the candles." Sasuke reached up and flicked one of the lanterns, the papery ball swaying back and forth. "We can eat in here if you want. You did go through all this work to set it up."

"It's just takeout. We can sit in front of the TV." Naruto shrugged. "I'll have another chance to decorate for you."

Sasuke grabbed his drink and takeout box. He headed into the family room.

"One last thing." Naruto opened the fridge and pulled out the chilled bottle of champagne. He ran with the bottle over to Sasuke.

"You want to pop it?"

"Sure." Sasuke smiled and took the bottle. He shook it up and pressed his thumb under the cork. With a loud pop, the cork flew across the room. Frothy liquid spilled over from the top of the bottle.

"WOOOO!" Naruto yelled out as Sasuke opened the bottle. "That was awesome."

"It's all over your carpet though." Sasuke still held the bottle, some of the alcohol running down his hand.

"It's okay. I'll clean it later. Be right back." Naruto walked over to his cabinet where he kept his wine glasses. He pulled out two champagne flutes and brought them back to Sasuke.

Sasuke poured the alcohol into the glasses, filling them to the brim. He set the bottle down and took one of the glasses for himself.

"To you getting your well-deserved lead." Naruto held out his glass.

"To... me, I guess." Sasuke touched his glass to Naruto's. They both took a sip at the same time. Sasuke scrunched up his nose.

"You don't like it?" Naruto said.

"No, I do. I forgot it was carbonated."

"You really don't drink a lot, do you?"

"It's that obvious, huh?"

Naruto laughed. "It is." He took another sip. "Alright, we should eat before our food gets cold."

"Good idea." Sasuke sat down on the couch, setting his alcohol next to his other drink.

Naruto went back out into the kitchen and grabbed his ramen, lemonade, and fortune cookie. He joined Sasuke on the couch.

"I wonder what's on tonight." He turned the TV on, scrolling through channels. "Ooh what's this?" He clicked on the channel of interest. A group of ballerinas moved around the stage they were on. "Sasuke look."

Sasuke, who was busy opening his takeout box, looked up. He was confused until he stared at the screen for a couple seconds. "You found a dance show."

"I did. We can change it if you don't want to watch."

"Oh no, I'm curious." Sasuke kept looking at the screen while finally getting his carton opened. He dipped his chopsticks into his lo mein and ate. "Mhmm. This is so good."

Naruto opened his ramen, the steam from the broth hitting his nose. He excitedly picked up the noodles with his chopsticks, dangling them in his mouth before slurping them up.

"You call that a pirouette? I did better when I was a child," Sasuke called out next to Naruto.

"I bet you did." Naruto smiled. "What about her?" He pointed to a girl in the back.

"Ugh. Her form is atrocious."

Naruto ate more of his ramen and listened to Sasuke go through critiquing the ballerinas. None of them were safe from his wrath. He found a flaw in every single one of them. Naruto was enjoying it a lot, if not more, than the performance on TV.

"And that one? I have no idea how she even made it into the show. She's out of sync with everyone else."

"You could be a dance teacher with how you notice all this stuff. I wouldn't have caught that," Naruto said.

"After years of working with Mr.Hatake, you learn to pick up on even the slightest mistake," Sasuke said, drinking some of his lemonade.

"I'm sure you do. I only sat in on one class and he was pretty intense."

"If you're not used to him, yeah. I remember when I was scared of him," Sasuke said. "He was really intimidating. I almost quit several times."

Naruto pictured a much younger Sasuke going to class. He wondered if he had the same thorny personality or if he was more open and vulnerable. All he could see for certain was a small Sasuke that feared his teacher.

"Good thing you didn't."

"Yeah. I'm glad I didn't too," Sasuke agreed. "I don't know what I would do if I wasn't a dancer."

"Maybe you would've been... Hm..." Naruto paused to think. "A doctor."

Sasuke laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "You're joking."

"Oh no. I'm dead serious. Paging Doctor Uchiha to the emergency room," Naruto spoke into his hand as if it was a speaker. Sasuke laughed some more.

"I can't see that at all."

"You'd be a hot doctor. I'd fake sickness just to come in and have you examine me," Naruto said with a smirk.

Sasuke groaned and lightly hit Naruto. "Shut up. You would not."

"100% would."

"Pretty sure that's illegal."

"Sadly, we'll never get to find out. A tragedy," Naruto dramatically remarked. "Okay so you've ruled out doctor. What about a firefighter?"

"Pshhh. Yeah, okay. Me? In charge of saving people from fire? I'll pass."

"I'm guessing being a police officer is also out of the question?"

"I think you just want me in a little uniform," Sasuke pointed out. Naruto felt himself blush.

"Not true! It would suit you with how aggressive you are. You'd enjoy arresting people and throwing them into cells."

"Hm. Maybe." Sasuke took a break from talking to eat more of his lo mein. "I could be a chef and learn how to make good food like this."

"I could see that. Being a chef requires the same precision of being a dancer, but in different aspects," Naruto said. "And you'd get to wear a cute little apron too."

"My point still stands about the uniform thing," Sasuke reiterated with a knowing smile. "What? My dance uniform not good enough for you?"

"I like that too. Especially when you wear those tight shorts and low cut tank tops."

"I don't wear things like that."

"Sometimes you do."

"On rare occasions. I didn't know you paid attention to what I wore."

"Of course I do. You look great in everything." Naruto ate more of his ramen. "But it's fun imagining you in other professions."

"What about you?" Sasuke turned the topic of conversation on Naruto. Naruto cocked his head.

"What about me?"

"If you didn't work in an office, what would you do?"

Naruto didn't respond right away, taken aback a bit by the question. It was an interesting prospect; what _would he_ have done if he didn't settle for something boring and uninteresting like working in an office? He must've been pondering it for awhile, because Sasuke shot him a concerned look.

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not sure what I would do, if I'm being honest."

"Well, I doubt working in an office was your childhood aspiration. What did you want to do when you were a kid?"

Another pause on Naruto's end. "That was a long time ago."

"Try to think. If you focus, you'll come up with something."

Naruto lifted his champagne to his mouth and drank. "Alright. I'll think about it." He looked ahead at the screen. The ballerinas were now dancing with the backdrop of a field behind them. His gaze moved to the window and he looked at it blankly until something came to his mind.

"Oh, I remember," Naruto said softly. "I wanted to be a pilot."

"Why?"

"It seemed fun. I always liked being in the air. I used to build models of planes and line them on my shelves." Recalling the forgotten past sparked a wave of related memories. Naruto distinctly remembered hunching over his desk; plane parts scattered around him while he worked under his lamp.

"Did you have a favorite one?"

"I did. It was a red fighter plane that I painted."

"That's cute. I bet your room had a bunch of stuff relating to airplanes in it," Sasuke said.

"It did. Well, until I came into late teenage years. I gave the whole idea up around then."

"Why did you give it up? You would've been a good pilot." Sasuke frowned.

Naruto sighed. "I don't entirely know. I guess I just thought it was too unrealistic."

"You know, you could still do it."

Naruto laughed. "What? Be a pilot?" Sasuke nodded.

"I think my time for silly dreams like that is gone. I have a stable job now. I can't quit to pursue something like that," Naruto said solemnly. "If parallel universes are real, I'm sure one version of me is flying through the skies as we speak."

"I'm sorry," Sasuke apologized.

"It's not your fault. Kids have a lot of dumb dreams."

"It's not dumb."

"I don't mind working an office job. Sure it's boring, but it's stable like I said."

"I guess. It just seems so awful. I would hate to do something like that."

"It's not terrible. I get through it." Naruto looked back to the TV. There were no more ballerinas on screen. Instead, there was some crime show.

"Damn. We missed the end of it."

Sasuke looked up. "We did. It's okay, they didn't dance that good anyways." He finished up his food and set the empty container down.

"We should open our fortune cookies," Naruto said, holding up the packaged treat.

"Fortune cookies are lame. They always say something stupid," Sasuke scoffed, glancing down at his.

"Who knows? We won't, unless we open them."

"Fair point. But don't blame me when they suck."

Naruto opened the fortune cookie, discarding the plastic wrapping. He cracked the flaky breading and pulled out the white slip of paper from inside. He held it up and read it.

"'A truly rich life contains love and art in abundance.'"

"I told you it would be lame," Sasuke smugly said.

"I don't think it's lame. I think it's true. Both love and art are important," Naruto defended the saying. "What about yours?"

Sasuke looked down at his. Naruto watched him as he read. A brief look of shock flickered across his face.

"Nothing. Mine is stupid like I thought." His normal expression had returned.

"Read it anyways. I read mine."

"Fine," Sasuke begrudgingly said. "'Accept something that you cannot change, and you will feel better.'"

"I don't think that's stupid. It makes sense. It's better to accept things that are out of your control than fight it."

"I guess," Sasuke grumbled, crumbling up the fortune. "Personally, I think it was a waste of paper."

Naruto took the crumbled up scrap and set it alongside his. "You'd hate any fortune you got."

"That may be true." Sasuke looked at the TV. "What's this?"

"Dunno. It looks like one of those CSI type shows."

"CSI?"

"Don't tell me you don't know about CSI."

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't watch TV, like, ever. I'm too busy."

"It's a show where forensic investigators solve crimes. I don't think this is the actual show, but it probably is similar." Naruto grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. A man in glasses and a sweater was sitting on a couch and shaking.

_"I can't believe this... I've been at work all day... Are you sure it's really him that died?"_

_"Yes, Sir. It's been confirmed that the body discovered at the crime scene was indeed William. Do you have any idea who could've done something like this to him?"_

_"Sorry. I'm still taking this in." The man rubbed his head and looked down. "I don't think so. William is, I mean was, a nice guy..."_

"That guy definitely did it," Sasuke interrupted the tense moment on screen.

"What makes you say that? He looks very upset."

"Sure he does. That's the point. It's always the ones you least expect." Sasuke lifted his champagne flute to his lips and took a small sip. This time, he didn't recoil as much. "I bet you it's him."

"I'd have to disagree. No way it's him. It's a vengeful ex or something."

"We'll see about that." Sasuke remained confident in his guess.

They turned back to watching the show intently. As the show progressed, Sasuke naturally slid closer to Naruto. Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. He was looking straight ahead at the screen, barely blinking. Though he wasn't saying much, Naruto noticed his small reactions; a quiet gasp, a nod of his head. Naruto, of course, found it adorable.

While the forensic team was back at the scene of the crime again, Naruto carefully slid his arm behind Sasuke so he had his arm around him. He felt Sasuke flinch.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll take my arm off you if it's bothering you," Naruto apologized profusely.

"It's fine. I just didn't expect it." Sasuke smiled. In what seemed to be a form of reassurance, Sasuke leaned his head on Naruto's chest.

"I still think that guy is guilty."

"He is not! Poor guy was terrified and you think he committed murder of someone he was close to."

"He's good at acting scared. Watch. You'll see."

"Hey Sasuke."

"Hm?"

"Do you like your hair to be played with?"

"No one's ever really played with my hair before."

"Is it okay if I do?"

"I don't see why not."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." Naruto reached to touch Sasuke's hair when the raven looked up at him.

"You don't... want to make... me uncomfortable?" He slowly repeated the statement Naruto made back to him. Naruto nodded.

"Of course not. That's the last thing I would ever want to do. If I ever do something you don't like, tell me and I'll stop right away."

"Wow..." Sasuke's eyes widened. "Most people don't give a shit about that."

"Unfortunately. You don't need to worry about that with me. I want you to be safe." Naruto ran his fingers through Sasuke's hair and smiled. "Your hair is really soft."

"You can thank the shower for that." Sasuke went back to laying against Naruto and watching the show.

Naruto tried to pay attention to the show, but with Sasuke almost in his lap and his fingers wrapped around his hair, he was hyperaware of the dancer's presence in relation to himself. He smelled the citrus scent of Sasuke's body wash on his skin. While he was stroking the dark strands of Sasuke's hair, Naruto accidentally touched Sasuke's neck. Sasuke let out a sharp gasp.

"You felt that? Your neck is really sensitive."

"Yes of course I felt that. You touched me," Sasuke mumbled into Naruto's shirt. "It's not that sensitive."

"No? It's not?" Naruto smirked and lightly pressed a finger to the back of Sasuke's neck. "You sure about that?"

"Y-yeah," Sasuke choked out. "Not at all."

Naruto got an idea. He brushed Sasuke's hair out of the way and kissed all across his neck, making sure the kisses were soft and and gentle. Sasuke's breathing grew more shallow.

"Still want to stick with that answer?" Naruto leaned in close and whispered in Sasuke's ear.

"Mhmmm."

"That was more of a noise than an answer," Naruto chuckled before going back to kissing Sasuke's neck. He alternated between lightly dragging his fingers and leaving a line of kisses.

Sasuke started off strong, but the longer Naruto went on, he gradually descended into a loss of control. He bit his lip and closed his eyes. As Naruto persisted, it became harder and harder for Sasuke to hold himself together. He shuddered and groaned much to his dismay.

Naruto seeing Sasuke melt under his touch and lips was quite the sight to see. It only made him up the intensity on everything he was doing. He savored each and every little noise that left Sasuke as a result of him.

"Admit it," Naruto whispered, his lips lightly brushing Sasuke's ear. Sasuke, with his eyes still squeezed shut, shook his head.

"If you don't like it, I'll stop."

"N-No. Don't stop," Sasuke said, his voice on the edge of a whine.

"Then admit it. That's all you have to do and I'll touch you and kiss you as much as you want."

"But-"

"Nope. I want to hear that you like it." Naruto lightly swooped his finger over the area between Sasuke's collarbones and neck. Sasuke began to moan but stopped himself, clamping his mouth shut.

"Hm."

"Alriiiight. You made up your-"

"Fine! Fine! I... like it." He opened his eyes and looked up into Naruto's playful blues.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Naruto teased, going to kiss Sasuke on the mouth. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief and kissed Naruto back. Their lips moved against each other as Naruto pulled Sasuke into his lap so he was straddling him. Sasuke pulled away and looked down on Naruto, shyly smiling. Some of his black hair fell down and hid parts of his face. Naruto moved his hair back.

"We're totally missing the show right now. We won't know who the murderer is."

"We could go back to that if you want," Naruto said, moving his hand to rub Sasuke's thigh. Sasuke squirmed.

"I'm sure we can find it online somewhere."

"Good answer." Naruto pulled Sasuke by his chin and kissed him on the mouth. Sasuke moaned into the kiss. Not only did Naruto hear the moan, but he felt it. Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto and clung onto him desperately.

While still kissing, Naruto's fingers moved to the hem of Sasuke's shirt, teasingly tugging at it. He considered the possibility of Sasuke pulling away to stop him, but the man did no such thing. His eyes were peacefully closed and he continued to kiss Naruto back.

Naruto slipped his fingers under Sasuke's shirt and began to slowly lift the shirt off of him. Sasuke helped, his eyes opening for a brief second to assist. Together, they tossed the t-shirt to the ground.

"Sasuke..." Naruto gazed up at Sasuke's bare chest. Hours of practice and workouts showed themselves by his defined abs. He wanted to kiss every single square inch of the pale skin in front of him—make Sasuke feel worshiped like he deserved.

"Yes?"

"You're so beautiful." Naruto flipped Sasuke around so the dancer was underneath him. He kissed Sasuke starting from his neck, to his collarbones, to his torso, and down to his fit stomach. Not a single part of Sasuke would go unkissed.

"I am not," Sasuke said with a groan. "But you make me feel like I am."

"Yes you are. You're the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on. I won't stop telling you until you believe it, and even then I'll keep telling you." Naruto kissed Sasuke on one of his beet red cheeks.

"I'm so lucky to have you. You're so sweet it's almost sickening."

"I only treat you how you deserve." Naruto kissed Sasuke once on the mouth. "Now, shall we continue? I want to make you feel good."

"Well when you put it like that..." Sasuke let out a small laugh. "Feel free to go on."

Naruto pressed his lips back to Sasuke's eager mouth. He was still on top of Sasuke and had control over the situation. He deepened the kiss, his tongue touching Sasuke's. Sasuke let out a moan, involuntarily grinding up against Naruto the more passionate the kiss grew.

Naruto moved his hands back down to Sasuke's toned thighs and gave them a squeeze. Sasuke laid his head back against the couch, seemingly overcome by a wave of pleasure.

"You neck isn't the only sensitive part on you I see," Naruto murmured. He climbed off of Sasuke and sank down to his knees on the ground.

"We can stop if you don't want to go any farther."

"Keep going," Sasuke said. "Please," He added, panting.

"If that's what my beautiful dancer wants, then that's what I'll do," Naruto chuckled. He undid Sasuke's belt and tossed it on the floor next to his shirt. He took Sasuke's pants off and threw them to the messy ground that was an assortment of Sasuke's various garments. All that was left on Sasuke was a pair of red boxer briefs that sat snugly along his hips.

Naruto wished he had a camera to capture the pure beauty that was Sasuke in this moment—him sitting there against the couch, almost all of his gorgeous body exposed to Naruto and Naruto alone. A pretty look of anticipation graced his face. It was interesting for Sasuke's sharp features to have a quality of vulnerability and yearning to them.

Naruto moved his fingers up and down Sasuke's thighs, giving them light grabs while he did so. Sasuke let out a whimper.

"You sound so nice, like an angel," Naruto said in between touches. "I wonder what kinda noises you'll make when I kiss you there." He followed his words by peppering kisses along the outside of Sasuke's thighs.

"Mhm Naruto-" Sasuke moaned, his hand clutching the cushion of the couch. Naruto grabbed a hold of Sasuke's hand and held it while he moved to the inner part of his thighs. He dragged his tongue along the tender skin.

"Shit, that feels so good," Sasuke managed to say in a coherent sentence. "Your tongue feels amazing."

Naruto smiled and gave Sasuke some additional kisses before looking at his underwear. He could see a wet spot and a bulge protruding from under the fabric.

"Looks like someone got excited from all that."

"S-Shut up," Sasuke stuttered, shifting on the couch as if it would somehow erase his growing erection. "No idea what you're talking about."

"It's cute that you're still acting like you don’t have a single clue," Naruto said, moving a hand to Sasuke's clothed bulge. He wrapped a hand around the length, lightly pumping it.

Sasuke’s reaction was instantaneous. Within seconds, he was a mess of whimpers and moans, writhing on the couch, while Naruto stroked him. Words spilled out of him in broken English.

"Fuck... Na- Naruto- shit... don't- uhhhhnng... stop-"

Naruto felt his own cock hardening in his pants as he listened to Sasuke practically plead for him to continue touching him. Knowing that _he_ was the reason Sasuke was overrun with such pleasure had a significant effect on him. He wanted to keep going until all Sasuke could do was shout out his name and let Naruto take care of him.

"I’m s'close-" Sasuke panted, rocking his hips back and forth.

Naruto took his hand off of Sasuke. A pained groan followed.

"I take back what I said about you being nice. Why did you do that?!" Though Naruto’s hand was removed, Sasuke couldn't sit still.

"We haven’t even gotten to the main event yet." Naruto smirked.

"Main event?"

Naruto moved his hand under the band of Sasuke’s briefs and played with the top of them, rolling the stretchy material in between his fingers. "Take 'em off."

Sasuke didn’t have to be told twice. He quickly removed the last article of clothing from his body, sending it to the same fate as his other clothes. Once he was fully naked, Naruto got a complete look at him.

"You remind me of those perfectly chiseled marble statues we saw at the museum together that one time," Naruto said as he marveled at Sasuke’s form. He finally got to see what he was touching under those boxers and it was glorious. The tip of Sasuke’s cock was a bright red that matched his cheeks. It was wet with precum.

"Now you’re just trying to flatter me," Sasuke said, moving to cover himself. Naruto stopped him.

"Don’t hide from me, beautiful. I want to see all of you."

Sasuke shyly kept his hands down by his side while Naruto kissed all over him, praising him excessively.

"Everything about you" _Kiss on his thigh_ "is perfect" _Kiss on his stomach_ "You’re so handsome" _Kiss on his collarbone_

Naruto gave one last kiss to Sasuke’s neck. He knelt on the ground and leaned forward; Sasuke’s cock inches away from his face. He looked up to see Sasuke intently watching him. His focused look that Naruto adored was trained on him.

Keeping eye contact with Sasuke, Naruto opened his mouth and slowly put the head of Sasuke's cock in his mouth. He sucked on it, swirling his tongue over the slit. Sasuke threw his head back, his mouth falling open.

"Fuck Naruto-" Sasuke cursed loudly. He bit his lip and tried to restrain himself, but it was little to no use. When Naruto saw what he was trying to do, he took more of him in his mouth. Before he knew it, almost every inch of Sasuke’s cock was down his throat.

Sasuke lost it. He let out a constant stream of swears and small sentence fragments, all while bucking his hips up into Naruto’s mouth. Naruto was prepared and made sure that Sasuke didn't slip out.

"Hnnnnggg shit N-Naruto...your mouth... so good..."

Naruto adjusted to the size of Sasuke’s length and when he did, he began to move his head up and down, saliva dripping out of his mouth onto the base of Sasuke’s cock.

"Gonna come- shit-"

Naruto went even faster when he heard that. He could feel his cock throbbing. Sasuke was so deep in his mouth that Naruto nearly gagged. Regardless, he made sure to keep his lips wrapped around him.

“I’mcoming- Imcoming- Imcoming-” Sasuke repeated, the words slurring together in a jumble. Not soon after he said the words fervently, Naruto’s mouth filled with salty liquid. He swallowed it all.

Licking his lips, Naruto rose from the knelt position he was in and looked over at Sasuke. He had a dazed expression on his face—one only that could be achieved post-orgasm. He looked so euphoric; his cock still twitching even though he already came, his matted hair, his flushed cheeks, the patches of pink that marked his body, his parted mouth.

Naruto bent down and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips, a contrast to the act that just happened.

"Congratulations on the lead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter to date now. I'm not 100% on that, but I think so. At any rate, it's for sure up there. So much happened in this chapter and I had a fun time writing it. I loved pretty much the entire thing (which I can't say a lot), but I think my personal favorite part is where they have that conversation on careers. Also, Sasuke being a judgy lil bitch and rating the ballerinas on TV. As you *probably* guessed, I have to finally give this fic a rating because,,, well,,, you know hahaha. I don't publicly write smut a lot so I was highkey blushing pretty much the entire time I wrote that section (feelin like Sasuke over here LOL). Hope you enjoyed as always!


	33. Green Eyes

_Naruto gave me a blowjob last night._

_Naruto gave me a blowjob last night._

_Naruto gave me a blowjob last night._

Sasuke had to say it a couple times in his head before it sank in. Sure at the time he was aware of what was going on, but it didn’t fully hit him till the next day when he was by himself.

Naruto was... fucking amazing to say the least. Sasuke could still feel his hands caressing his body and phantom sensations of kisses, despite Naruto not being anywhere near him. Sasuke shouldn’t have been surprised by how good he was though. He had an inkling that Naruto was experienced in those types of activities.

In all honestly, it made Sasuke feel a bit insecure himself. His sexual encounters were very limited. Thinking about it more deeply, he was sure he didn’t match up to half of Naruto’s previous partners.

Sasuke wasn’t the best when it came to intimacy. When people came to what he perceived as too close, it was like his body sent signals of alarm out. His skin burned and he wanted to be far away. That made things like sex and close touching near impossible.

Being with Naruto was a complete 180. Instead of wanting the blonde away, he wanted him even closer to him. It was strange. Sasuke felt... strange. He wasn’t even sure how to process the feeling.

Now that Naruto had seen him without any clothes on, part of Sasuke was embarrassed. Not because of Naruto. He made an vigilant effort to reassure Sasuke the entire time. It was more of the fact that Sasuke wasn’t very comfortable being exposed in general. He had received a grand total of three blowjobs in his life, and through most of them, he was clothed.

He was going to see Naruto later and the mere thought of him made Sasuke blush like an idiot. He’d be talking with him and all he could think about was Naruto’s mouth around his co-

_Okay, enough of drooling over Naruto. I need to shower._

In Sasuke’s defense, it had been a long time since he had done anything of the sort. With it having happened, his mind was fixated on the topic. Shaking his head as if to clear anymore impure thoughts, he grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom.

After his shower, Sasuke got ready for the day. He didn't have practice and he had the day all to himself.

 _I could go grocery shopping. Or do some cleaning around the apartment. It could certainly use some straightening up_ , Sasuke thought as he noticed a layer of dust on some of his furniture. The question was; did he really feel like doing housekeeping on his day off?

The answer was clearly no. Sasuke could've came up with at least ten more interesting and fun ways to use his time. But unfortunately, this new lead meant even more time in the studio which further meant he would have even less time to do things like maintain his living space. Sasuke sighed and got to work.

Cleaning took a couple hours, though Sasuke wasn't certain. He tried to power through it and avoid looking over at the clock. The more focused he was, the quicker he could get it done.

Sasuke put away the cleaning supplies and grabbed his laptop. The poor thing was in a sorry state. It took Sasuke ten minutes to get onto the internet. When the browser was pulled up, he ventured onto YouTube. He didn't visit the video sharing platform much, but sometimes when he had time, he would see what was out there. As he scrolled today, he found a lot of beauty tutorials for some reason on his home page.

He clicked on a video of a girl applying glitter to her eyelids and watched for about a minute before he grew bored. Sasuke wasn't one to have a good attention span when it came to entertainment. The content needed to be highly engaging or he wouldn't bother with it. Moving on from tutorials, he came across a couple conspiracy theories which were pretty interesting to him.

One of the conspiracy videos was about the simulation theory; an idea that all of reality is at the hands of an artificial simulation. Sasuke wasn't sure how much he believed it, but it was something worth considering. What if all of life really was manufactured by some otherworldly presence or computer? How much control did he really have in day to day decisions? Did his actions have consequences in the grand scheme of the universe? Did any of it matter anyways if someone else was in charge?

_First I'm having persistent dirty thoughts, and now I'm contemplating my existence. I need to give my mind a break._

Sasuke moved his cursor to click off the video when he spotted something in his recommended. The thumbnail was hard to see. He squinted, moving closer to the screen. It appeared to be a stage with dancers. He glanced at the title; _Swan Lake performence_

Snorting at the spelling error, he clicked on the video. The quality was fuzzy. Sasuke checked to see if it was his quality that was the issue. It wasn't. Whoever was recording was likely using their cellphone.

Nothing happened for the first minute or so. He checked the length of the video. It was 2 hours and 25 minutes long.

The curtains on stage lifted and a round of claps echoed throughout the room. As the dancers came on stage, Sasuke had a realization.

The video was of a performance of Swan Lake put on by Sasuke's class.

Seeing his peers from an outside perspective was weird. He had seen them dance a million times, but never from a recording where he could objectively sit back and watch. The feeling of weirdness got worse once he saw himself on stage.

His first instinct was to slam the laptop shut. It was a feeling akin to hearing one's voice on a recording. Sasuke was caught between being curious at what he looked like dancing and being slightly embarrassed. He fought the urge to look away and kept watching.

Getting over the initial embarrassment, Sasuke turned to analyzing every aspect of himself he possibly could; his outfit, his hair, his makeup, how he executed the dance moves—nothing was off limits when it came to Sasuke's critical eye.

Sasuke hated that pastel blue outfit as much as he did when he was forced to wear it for the show. It made his skin even paler than it already was; washing him out. His hair was naturally messy after whipping around the stage.

He paid extra attention to his dancing. He sometimes saw his reflection in the studio mirror when he was in class, but it was different to see it as an audience member at one of the shows.

The first thing he noticed was the expression on his face. It remained as still and unchanging as stone. Mr.Hatake often teased Sasuke that he looked incredibly serious whenever he danced. He had to work on that.

As for his dancing, his moves were pretty good. He found a couple of moments here and there where he felt he could’ve done better (shocker), but overall, he wasn’t terrible. Sasuke particularly thought his pirouettes were excellent.

Before he knew it, he had watched the entire 2 hours and 25 minutes; staring raptly ahead until the screen eventually faded to black. He blinked rapidly as the video came to an end. He was so caught up with paying close attention that time flew by.

Out of curiosity, he checked the stats on the video. It had 3,450 views and a like dislike ratio of 213 likes to 10 dislikes. He wondered who disliked it.

Sasuke scrolled down to the comment section. He didn’t use YouTube much and even he knew how notorious the comment sections were for being cesspools. Being aware of that didn’t stop him, however. He skimmed through comments; curious on what people had to say.

'Really good'

'Wish I could've made the show when I had the chance'

'Main girl is hot'

'I was watching a video on food. How did I end up here?'

The rest were along the same lines of being either random, complimentary, or weird. Sasuke sat there and read through each one. Buried in the sea of comments was one specific remark that made Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise.

'Solo by the gentleman in blue was amazing. I wish he would've had more time on the stage'

Sasuke was the only one wearing both blue and had a solo. He assumed it was him and smiled. A singular comment about him. While he knew he was talented, it was good to hear it from someone unbiased.

Weirdly enough, reading over the words from Maddog547 gave Sasuke a surge of motivation. He needed to go to the gym and work out. It wasn't as if he suddenly gained twenty pounds or anything, but a role this big required him to be the most in shape as possible. Besides, he didn't want to start slacking. Sasuke knew from experience that once you stopped going to the gym for a bit, it was hard to get back into.

Sasuke shut his laptop and stood up from the chair. He would spend the rest of the day working out, coming home to get ready and shower, and then go out with Naruto. With a determined look on his face, Sasuke went to grab his duffel bag.

******

"Sorry the car is messy," Naruto apologized as Sasuke pulled open the door and sat beside him. Sasuke looked around.

"It's not that bad. I've seen worse."

"I planned to clean it, but I got out later from work than I expected," Naruto sighed, backing out and into the road. "There was a lot to do today. How was your day?"

"Pretty laid-back. I cleaned, went on the internet, and then went to the gym," Sasuke said.

"Wow. You were a lot more productive than I am when I don't have to go into work," Naruto chuckled. "I lay around and nap."

"I couldn't do that. I need to be constantly doing something."

"No wonder you're always stressed. You should try relaxing sometime."

"Maybe you can show me how," Sasuke dryly joked. "I don't really know how to relax."

"It's easy. You put everything that's worrying you or bothering you out of your mind and focus on what's happening in the present."

"Shutting my mind up? Good luck. My mind doesn't know how to shut up," Sasuke grumbled. His mind seemed to be always running. The only time he got a break from the constant stream of thoughts was when he was asleep.

"I'll help you. We can do little lessons until you're able to relax," Naruto said, smiling. "Get you in some cute pajamas. Wrap you in a blanket. It's especially good for the cold weather."

"Remember how I was when I got out of the hospital and you watched me?"

"You were pretty restless. But that's while we'll work on it, together." Naruto took one of his hands off the steering wheel and squeezed Sasuke's thigh.

"Two hands on the wheel," Sasuke warned. Naruto making physical contact with him felt nice, but it felt nicer knowing that they were safe.

"My wish is your command." He moved his hand back, but not before he gave Sasuke's thigh an additional squeeze. Sasuke felt his face flame up. The thoughts from earlier resurfaced. Sasuke put an end to it before they could go much further.

"How was your workout?" Naruto asked.

"It was good. My body needed it."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh stop it. Your body is amazing."

"It can always be better."

"D'you know how many people would kill for a body like yours?"

"No. I think killing someone over that would be pretty extreme."

"Just an expression, love. I mean that people would be pretty happy to look like you. You look great."

"Did you just call me... love?"

"Oh.. Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry."

"No," Sasuke said. "It was cute."

Naruto looked over to Sasuke and smiled such a happy smile that it nearly melted Sasuke's cold heart. "You liked it?"

Sasuke groaned and slid down in the seat. "Maybe."

"I think you, Sasuke Uchiha. have a secret soft side."

"Say that again and we'll find out how soft I am." Sasuke glared.

"Point taken," Naruto said, though he didn't sound convinced.

Sasuke turned to look out the window—his favorite thing to do when riding as a passenger. He could easily get lost in the vast skies and blurry shapes of the cars whizzing on by passed them. Sasuke rested his head against the window and let himself do just that.

"Damn," Naruto muttered under his breath. "I need to get more gas. I'm low. Is it okay if we stop before we go to the movies?"

"Yeah, of course," Sasuke said, picking his head up from the window. "Is there a gas station near?"

Naruto nodded. "If I'm recalling correctly, there should be one coming up in a couple minutes."

"I hope we get there before we run out."

"We'll be okay, don't worry," Naruto reassured.

Sasuke took a deep breath and played around with his fingers. He could see it now; the car slowing down to a crawl until it completely came to a halt. With their luck, they would end up in the middle of nowhere or a bad part of the city. With it getting dark out, that only added more-

"What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Sasuke was confused. He didn't say anything was wrong.

"You're nervous."

"No I'm not."

"Yeah you are. You keep fidgeting."

"You shouldn't be watching me while you're driving." Sasuke unlatched his fingers from each other.

"I saw it out of the corner of my eye."

"Your peripheral vision is good. Anyways, it's nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah..." Sasuke trailed off. "Is that the gas station I see?"

Naruto squinted. "Yeah! Thanks for pointing it out. I knew it was getting close."

Sasuke watched as the gas station fell into view. With the sun setting, the radiant lights of the station glowed; a hazy edge to the various signs. Naruto pulled up to one of the pumps.

"After I'm done filling the tank up with gas, do you want me to get snacks?"

"Yeah that's fine," Sasuke said.

Naruto got out of the car, the door closing behind him. In the growing darkness of the night, it was hard to distinguish him from the gas pump.

Sasuke waited for him to finish by searching the radio for something to listen to. Naruto poked his head back in the car after a song or two.

"I'm gonna go in now. What do you want?"

"I'll have... Some chips... no, actually I'll have some m&m's... wait, no."

"Someone's indecisive tonight," Naruto teased. "Why don't you come in with me and see what they have?"

Sasuke smiled. "That's better." He unbuckled his seat belt and joined Naruto outside of the car. Together, they walked up to the front of the store and walked inside.

For it being close to winter, the temperature of the convenience store was chilling. Sasuke wrapped his jacket around himself tighter.

"I'm going to look for snacks I want, be right back." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's dangling hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'll be looking around too to see if I can find anything," Naruto said, lifting Sasuke's hand and kissing the top of it. "Meet you back at the register?"

Sasuke nodded. "Sounds good." He dropped Naruto's hand and walked into one of the few aisles; where his indecision only worsened. For a gas station, there was surprisingly a lot to pick from. Sasuke was caught between a bag of sun chips and skittles when he saw _him_

He had no idea what even made him notice the man in the first place (perhaps a sudden movement on his part?) Regardless, Sasuke had picked up on him and he couldn't let his presence go unseen.

The man was wearing a black hoodie, the hood pulled up over his head. That's all Sasuke could see at first; the ominous-looking black hood. He angled his head to get a better look, clutching the snacks tightly in his hands.

It took a few minutes of unadulterated staring for Sasuke to see more of the strange man. He eventually shifted, giving Sasuke a better look. Sasuke wasn't prepared. The small amount of air in his chest was knocked out of him.

Wispy eyebrows, a mess of dark hair that fell down in curls, thin lips, a bulbous nose that swallowed up the other features, and lastly, piercing green eyes that drove fear into Sasuke, despite them not being locked onto him.

Heart rate now ramped up to that of a marathon runner, Sasuke swallowed roughly, though there wasn't much to swallow. His mouth was exceptionally dry. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought all the air had been stolen from the building. Sasuke coughed, struggling to breathe. He dropped the snacks on the floor; his sweaty palms no longer having a good grip on them.

_Is that him?_

That was the only thing in Sasuke's brain at that moment. Every other thought was pushed aside—this simple question bouncing around in his head like a bad game of ping pong. Logically, he knew it couldn't have been... Well... he thought so at least. But in this situation, all logic was thrown out the window. With Shaky hands, Sasuke did his best to pick up the snacks and put them on the shelf. This only resulted in Sasuke dropping them again.

"Goddammit..." Sasuke felt useless. He was on the brink of losing it and to anyone around, he probably looked like a crazy person. Sasuke swung his head around to see if anyone was watching. Sure enough, the man with the green eyes was looking directly at him.

Sasuke trembled, stepping back slowly.

_Naruto. I need to find Naruto._

Sasuke ran out of the aisle, leaving the snacks to lay on the ground. He checked the back of the store. Naruto wasn't there.

_C'mon Naruto. Where the fuck are you?!_

Sasuke looked down another aisle. No sign of Naruto there either.

Sasuke was aware he was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but he didn't care. He needed to find Naruto and get the hell out of there. The longer that Sasuke didn't find Naruto, the worse that feeling of dread and panic got. Any second now and he was going to call out for the man.

"Sasuke? Did you pick out your snacks?"

At last, Sasuke had located the blonde. He had his arms piled with a good number of snacks that Sasuke was too freaked out to name. He grabbed Naruto's arm.

"We need to go. _Now_."

"Shouldn't we pay for the snacks first? Wait, where are your snacks?"

"Fuck the snacks. We need to go. Come on," Sasuke said, panting. He tugged on Naruto with so much force he got the man to follow him out of the store. Naruto managed to set the haul of snacks down on the counter before Sasuke dragged him outside.

"I changed my mind about these, sorry."

The sigh of the disgruntled cashier was the last thing Sasuke heard as he and Naruto were finally out of the store.

"Car." Sasuke let go of Naruto and sprinted to the car, hoping Naruto took the hint.

Sasuke threw the door open and flung himself into the car seat, the door slamming behind him. His heavy breathing rivaled the bubbly pop song playing on the radio. Sasuke went to lower the volume, but his finger hit the wrong button and the radio turned to static.

"I accidentally fucked up the radio, sorry."

Naruto slowly sat in the driver's seat, hitting a button which turned off the radio altogether. He looked over to Sasuke, his deep blue eyes full of concern.

"Sasuke what's wrong? You're really pale."

"I'm... fine..." Sasuke couldn't think straight, mustering up what he hoped was an acceptable answer. Naruto shook his head.

"You're shaking. You are not fine."

"We just had to get out of there, okay?" Sasuke laid his head against the window for the second time in the course of the night. The coldness of the glass was a great comfort to his warm forehead. He sighed in relief, closing his eyes.

"I need to know what's bothering you. I want to help you and make you feel better."

"Let's just... go to the movies and out of this gas station, please," Sasuke said pathetically. "I want to be far away from here."

"But Sasu-"

"Just drive," Sasuke cut him off with urgency. "We're going to miss our movie."

"Your well-being is more important than a movie," Naruto said. "So please?"

Sasuke shook his head stubbornly and turned so he was completely facing away from Naruto. He didn't want to talk right now. There was so much going on inside of him that he felt like he would break if he continued talking. Naruto eventually took the hint, starting up the car and driving away. Sasuke opened his eyes and watched the gas station fade to an insignificant dot. Every mile further they drove was a second Sasuke could breathe easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I've ever posted a chapter for this fic at this time. It's strange haha. I can't say much that wouldn't be spoilery, but poor Sasuke. Dude is constantly going through it I swear.


	34. Dance Battle

Naruto wasn't sure what to make of the whole gas station incident. He had never seen Sasuke so freaked out. The only other time that was somewhat similar was when Sasuke woke up yelling from the nightmare when Naruto watched over him at his apartment. Normally, the raven was cool and collected. It was alarming to see him so viscerally upset while Naruto had no idea the cause.

Naruto thought of what could've possibly set Sasuke off. Sasuke certainly wouldn't tell him. He refused to say anything more about what happened. Every time the subject came up, he closed himself off, either physically by turning away, or emotionally by shutting up.

Naruto sat back and pictured the convenience store in his mind; rows filled with food, an indifferent cashier, flickering lights. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Could it have been that Sasuke was just uncomfortable in an unfamiliar place?

That was the only thing Naruto could come up with, but it didn't seem right. Sasuke looked a lot more disturbed than to just be uneasy with his surroundings. It had to be something more than that. It _had_ to be.

To say that the issue was eating Naruto up from the inside was an understatement. He was very worried for Sasuke's mental state. Following this, Sasuke had become more emotionally distant than usual which was saying something. Sasuke was far from being open and this whole ordeal seemed to make it worse. It was as if his guard that Naruto got him to gradually lower was back up.

On the weekend, Naruto got together with his friends. It had been awhile since they all met up as a big group and Naruto missed them. They made plans to hang out at an arcade that Lee was dying to visit. He heard there were fighting games and insisted they all check it out.

"Naruto!" Lee ran up to Naruto right when he walked into the dark arcade. He threw his arms around Naruto and hugged him tight.

"Hey. Good to see you too," Naruto laughed, letting Lee squeeze him.

Lee held onto Naruto for a couple seconds before letting go. He looked up at Naruto with a wide smile. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"Me too. How long have you all been here so far?"

"Not that long."

"Where's everyone else?" Naruto looked around. He didn't see his other friends anywhere in the vicinity.

"I think they're playing skee-ball."

"That sounds fun. Let's go watch."

"We can do more than watch. I challenge you to a skee-ball match!" Lee grinned, pointing his finger up in the air. "Will you accept?"

"I never back down from a challenge. You're on."

"Prepare to lose." Lee ran back into the arcade, nearly taking out a pacman machine. Naruto followed his erratic steps, being more conscientiousness of the machines than Lee. He saw Sakura, Kiba, and Shikamaru standing around four lanes. Kiba whipped a ball up one of the lanes; a loud _thunk_ following his throw.

"Do you always have to be that loud? I'm gonna go deaf," Shikamaru complained, covering his ears. Kiba laughed and patted him on the back.

"Maybe if you used the same amount of force I did, you wouldn't be losing right now."

"Hey guys," Naruto said. "Looks look like skee-ball is getting pretty heated."

Shikamaru sighed. "It wouldn't be if Kiba would calm it." to which Kiba laughed again.

"Shikamaru is being a sore loser because I'm a ton of points ahead of him."

"You're the only one even making this competitive, Kiba." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Hey Naruto." Sakura walked over to him and gave him a one-armed hug. "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing okay. You?"

"About the same." Sakura rolled one of the skee-balls in her palm. "Wanna play?"

"Oh no, Naruto is playing against me first. Sorry Sakura," Lee grinned, tugging on Naruto's arm. "There are two open spots next to Kiba and Shikamaru. Unless... you're scared of losing."

"You're the one that should be scared of losing. Let's go." Naruto walked up the lane next to Shikamaru and grabbed one of the skee-balls.

"Hopefully you're quieter than Kiba."

"I'll try," Naruto said.

"On the count of three, we start." Lee stood next to Naruto, cracking his knuckles in a way Naruto supposed was meant to be threatening. "Got it?"

Naruto gave Lee a thumbs up.

"Okay. 3... 2... 1!"

Naruto wasn't the one Shikamaru needed to worry about when it came to noise. Lee was whipping the skee-balls roughly up the alley. Naruto was being more skillful; gently rolling for his attempts, but wasn't having much success. He eventually, like Lee, turned to forceful throws.

"I'll be back when you finish. You guys are worse than Kiba," Shikamaru grumbled, walking off.

"What did he say?" Lee shouted.

"No idea," Naruto said. "I think he said something about getting a phone call? Dunno."

"Hah! Look, I'm beating you." Lee pointed to his score that flashed in neon. "I think I got this game on lock."

"We'll see about that." Naruto threw another ball. It circled around the hole but missed, rolling back into the machine.

The game finished with Lee beating Naruto by a couple hundred points. Lee cheered and danced around, rubbing his win in Naruto's face.

"Told you so! Told you so! Who's the winner? That's right, it's me!"

"You got lucky. Next time, I'll win for sure."

"Kiba! Sakura! I won!"

"You sure did," Kiba said. "Though, Naruto is hardly competition. I would win against you."

"Prove it," Lee challenged. "Let's go right now."

"You got it." Kiba smirked. "Try not to feel too bad when you lose."

"Sometimes I hate being the only girl in our group," Sakura groaned. "Men are so weirdly competitive about the stupidest things."

"Hey Sakura, isn't that one of those racing games over there?"

Sakura looked to where Naruto was motioning. "It is. Wanna play?"

"Yeah. But I thought you don't like when we're 'competitive'?" Naruto did air quotations.

"Racing games are worthy of being competitive. You're on."

They ran over to the racing game, sitting in the large seats that mimicked those of a race car. Naruto grabbed the steering wheel, turning it before the race even began.

"We need change. You got any?"

Sakura nodded and pulled out a palm-full of shiny coins. She inserted them into the machine; the satisfying _clink_ resounding as each coin was dropped in the slot.

"I'll probably need to get more at some point, but we're good for now."

Naruto hit the start button and chose his car; a slick red vehicle with a racing stripe down the hood. He looked over at Sakura's screen. She chose a black car.

"What track should we do?" Naruto asked, glancing over the options. "The beach one seems fun."

"I was thinking the same thing," Sakura said.

With the beach track selected, the match counted down from ten. Sakura and Naruto looked to each other, both with cocky grins upon their faces.

The match began on a sandy beach; programmed yellow sun brightly shining overhead of the roaring row of cars at the starting line. Naruto gripped the steering wheel.

"May the best man, or woman, win."

The countdown reached one and Naruto slammed his foot down on the pedal. His car sped ahead of Sakura's car and all the other computer generated cars, quickly taking the lead.

"Oh no, I don't think so," Sakura murmured. Naruto laughed and turned the wheel as his car went over a wooden bridge.

"Have fun catching up."

"Just you watch."

Naruto maintained his first place for the majority of the race. It wasn't until the last lap that it started to get wild. He was driving through the beachside town when his car spun out.

"What the-" He quickly spun the steering wheel, getting the car back on the track. He saw Sakura's car zoom passed him.

"You hit me, didn't you?"

Sakura grinned. "Maybe."

"You're the worst," Naruto groaned. He crossed the finish line in fourth. Sakura came in second.

"That's not even a win. You cheated," Naruto said.

"I did not! Hitting cars isn't off limits."

"Racing ooooh that's so fun!" Lee ran up in between Naruto and Sakura's chairs and looked at the screens. "Beat for the second time huh Naruto?"

"Only because Sakura hit me at the end."

"Excuses, excuses."

"Who won in the skee-ball match between you and Kiba?" Sakura said.

"I did." Kiba walked up to the group and smiled. "Isn't that right, Lee?"

Lee crossed his arms and stuck his chin up in the air. "Hmph."

"He won't admit it, but it's true."

"It is not!" Lee whined loudly. "I'm the best at skee-ball."

"Has anyone seen Shikamaru since he walked away?" Naruto said.

Both Lee and Kiba shook their heads.

"We should find him," Sakura suggested, getting off the chair. Naruto did the same.

"Shikamaru search squad I love it," Lee giggled.

As a group, they moved to check various parts of the arcade. They checked by the pinball machines, the skee-ball lanes, a shooting game, and still there was no sign of Shikamaru anywhere.

"Did he leave?" Lee peeked his head outside. "No, his car is still in the parking lot. He's definitely here somewhere."

Naruto scanned the arcade from where he stood, leaning on the door, when he saw a familiar spike of black hair.

"He's over there."

Everyone in the group turned their heads in the direction Naruto was staring.

"There he is," Lee grinned. "What's he playing?"

"Let's go find out." Naruto walked across the arcade over to the corner where Shikamaru was. He was leaning forward, his eyebrows narrowed and forehead wrinkled in concentration. The closer Naruto got, the more clearly he could tell what he was doing. Shikamaru was playing a claw machine.

"We were wondering where you went."

Shikamaru didn't respond at first. The rest of his friends caught up, crowding around the claw machine. Shikamaru was hovering the crane above a fluffy stuffed cat.

"Ooooh you're so gonna get it," Lee pressed his hands to the glass.

Shikamaru tapped a button and the claw descended into the pit of stuffed creatures. The edges of the claw brushed the cat, but alas, the claw came up empty.

"That's not fair! You had that for sure." Lee banged on the machine.

Shikamaru shrugged. "These are always rigged anyways. They dial the pressure back so it's hard to ever get anything."

"So why did you play it then?" Sakura said.

"Well, I didn't say it was impossible." Shikamaru turned back to the machine. "Lee, stop shaking it. That's not going to help."

Lee, arms wrapped around the base of the claw machine, looked over at Shikamaru with a pout. "You don't know that."

"I don't want us to get kicked out for messing with the machines." Shikamaru peeled Lee's arms off of the machine. "You can pick what we play next."

"Hmmm..." Lee looked around. "How abouttttt this." He took off running without warning.

Naruto followed after him. Lee stopped at one of the shooter games that they passed while looking for Shikamaru. Lee picked up one of the tacky orange guns and pointed it at Naruto.

"Woooahhh careful with that," Naruto laughed, picking up the blue gun next to Lee and pointing it at him. "Or I'll have to use this."

"You two are actual children," Sakura said. "Just play the damn game."

Lee took out coins and slipped them into the machine. Loud gunshot noises rung out as the coins were inserted. The screen loaded to an old-fashioned saloon.

"We need some cowboy hats!" Lee exclaimed.

"That would be cool, but I don't think we can get any on such short notice," Naruto said. "We can pretend we have some on." He aimed his gun at the screen and took out a barrel.

Lee tried to take out everything he could possibly see on the screen; outlaws, trees, windows. Nothing was safe from his erratic shooting.

At one of the other shooters-a zombie version instead of a western one-Shikamaru and Kiba started their own game. Only Sakura remained without a gun in her hands. She stood in the middle of both games, eyes going back and forth between the different settings.

Naruto ended up beating Lee in their game. Lee wasn't very happy about that. He set the gun back down and frowned.

"Payback for skee-ball," Naruto gloated, twirling the gun and blowing on the end as if it was hot. "Sorry Lee, I think I'm a better cowboy than you."

"You are not," Lee said. "Let's watch Kiba and Shikamaru's game."

Naruto and Lee walked over to where both Kiba and Shikamaru were focused on shooting the heads off zombies.

"This is a lot creepier than ours was," Lee said as Kiba shot a zombie in the rotting torso. "Gross."

"This is so fun," Kiba said. "Me and Shikamaru are destroying these zombies."

The game concluded with Kiba coming in a couple of points ahead. Shikamaru, unlike Lee, didn't seem to take it to heart.

"We gotta play DDR," Kiba said to Naruto, setting the gun down. "I see it over there."

"A dancing game? I don't think either of us will win that."

"Say that for yourself. I plan on winning." Kiba walked over to the DDR machine and jumped up on metal flooring, prematurely tapping on the pink and blue arrows.

Naruto stepped up next to Kiba, taking his place on the miniature dance floor. Shikamaru, Sakura, and Lee came up and stood around the pair.

"You got this Naruto," Lee encouraged from the sidelines.

"What song are we gonna do?" Naruto asked Kiba.

"Whatever is one of the hardest ones." Kiba tapped the forward arrow as he looked through the song list. "Oooh this one should be good." Kiba confirmed the song selection and grinned.

While Naruto waited for the song to load, his mind traveled to Sasuke. He imagined that instead of playing Kiba, Sasuke took his place. He wouldn't be mad when Sasuke beat him significantly; a confident look on his face as he teased Naruto about his win.

"Uhhhh Naruto?"

Naruto didn't realize he had zoned out so much into his daydream until he looked ahead and saw arrows flying down the screen. He cursed and tried to regain composure, matching his movements to the arrows, but it was too late. Kiba, who hadn't had a daydream about a significant other, was way ahead. He was hitting almost all perfect marks.

"Damn Kiba, when did ya learn to dance?" Sakura said.

"Pshhh I've always been good," Kiba panted, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

Naruto made a valiant effort to catch up to Kiba's score, but ultimately, he couldn't. Kiba threw a tired fist up in the air.

"Told ya so."

"Rematch."

"What's that?"

"I said I want a rematch."

"Oh no, sorry I must be mistaken," Kiba laughed. "I think Uzumaki wants to have his ass kicked by the dance master for a _second_ time."

"I'm winning this time, 'dance master'."

"Suuuure."

"Pick a song. I'll prove it." Naruto rolled his sleeves up.

Kiba tapped his foot through the songs once more. He picked another upbeat techno song that sounded like it would have a lot of steps that went with it.

Naruto focused, not letting his mind wander to a certain handsome raven. He mirrored the order of the steps on screen, his feet corresponding to the arrows on the ground. With his full attention present in the moment, he found it much easier; certainly much easier than when he and Sasuke were dancing together on their own. At least this had specific steps.

"Naruto you're in the lead!!" Lee yelled loudly behind Naruto. Naruto's glance darted over to Kiba's score. Lee was right. He was ahead!

"Real funny, Lee," Kiba said. "Hilarious."

"He's right. I am," Naruto said, blowing out a breath of hot air.

"You just want me to be distracted."

"Nope." Naruto triple tapped on the back arrow.

"Fine, I'll quickly look."

For the last five seconds of the song, Kiba stood open-mouthed and frozen in place. "WHAT?!" He missed the last couple of arrows.

 _Player 2 wins!_ flashed on the screen. Naruto smirked, running a hand through his sweaty hair.

"You should take a picture so you can remember this moment forever."

"We're going again," Kiba insisted. 

"Another round? Why?"

"When I win again, it'll be two to one."

"Ohhhh, you're not content with us each having one win," Naruto said. "Gotcha. Well, I'll enjoy the look on your face when you realize I won for the second time."

Naruto and Kiba started another match, and another match and another match. They kept going back and forth until they were tied like they were at the start. Except this time, it was 8-8. More than just the group of friends gathered around the DDR machine. Two annoyed girls kept rolling their eyes and loudly sighing when Naruto and Kiba began another match.

"What? You've never seen two adults playing DDR? Go play another game," Kiba said to the girls. They didn't budge, looking even more irritated.

"You guys have been playing for awhile. Let's let them have a turn," Sakura spoke up. "I'm getting hungry anyways. We should go get lunch."

The seventeenth match wrapped up. Naruto was victorious, tilting the score in his favor. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"She's right. I am getting pretty tired."

Kiba sighed. "Fine. But next time we go to the arcade, we're doing this again."

"You got yourself a deal." Naruto reached forward to shake Kiba's hand. He obliged.

"Perfect. You better be ready." Kiba was the first one to hop off of the DDR machine. Naruto followed, his legs wobbling as they adjusted to the arcade floor. The two girls whispered something to each other and climbed on not even seconds after Naruto and Kiba got off.

"They were waiting for that, damn." Kiba looked back. "Now I wish we kept going."

"I'm glad you didn't. I can't stand to hear those obnoxious songs anymore." Shikamaru rubbed his temple. "They're going to haunt me in my dreams."

"I wish I got a chance," Lee said sadly. "I love DDR."

"For lunch, I was thinking of that Italian place nearby. I've been craving Italian lately." Sakura licked her lips. "We all good with that?"

No one objected, nods of agreement from everyone in the group. Sakura looked satisfied.

"Great."

******

The group made their way over to the restaurant in their separate cars. Naruto followed Sakura, squinting through his frost covered windshield to keep track of where her car was. They all arrived within a couple minutes of each other with the exception of Shikamaru who lagged behind.

Naruto met up with his friends in the parking lot after he found a spot for his car. The frosty air felt good on his flushed cheeks as he stood outside. Together, they all walked inside the restaurant, snow crunching underfoot.

"There's barely anyone here," Lee said, looking around. "Looks like our food will come fast when we order."

"That's fine by me," Kiba said. "The sooner the better."

"Welcome to Naturalmente Buono. Table for five?" A hostess asked, counting all of Naruto and his friends. Naruto nodded. The hostess grabbed five menus.

"Follow me."

Naruto led the group back to where the hostess walked. She brought them to a circular table that was close to one of the large windows of the restaurant.

"Someone will be over in a couple of minutes to take your drink orders." She set a menu down at each individual chair. "If you need anything, let me know."

"Sounds good." Sakura smiled at the hostess as she walked away. "She's cute."

"I don't think you can order her on the menu." Shikamaru picked up his menu and thumbed through it. "If I were you, I'd look at the section labeled 'drinks'."

Naruto stared at the menu while Sakura and Shikamaru had a bit of a back and forth, not paying much attention to what they were saying. While he was doing so, another thought of Sasuke entered his mind. He pictured Sasuke sitting across from him; looking at him with those addicting dark eyes Naruto treasured when they were locked on him. He clutched his menu tighter.

"I can't decide between the Sprite or the Pepsi," Lee said, fanning the menu out. "What do you guys think?"

 _I should text him_ , Naruto thought. _I don't want to bother him but... I miss him._

"Pepsi. Sprite is gross," Shikamaru said.

"Is it too early to order alcohol?" Kiba laughed. "It's not, right?"

_Just one text._

Naruto felt the outline of his phone in his pocket. He inched it towards the top of his jeans, taking it out and setting it in his lap.

"It's lunchtime. Yes, it's too early for that," Sakura elbowed Kiba. "Stick to the non-alcoholic beverages."

It took Naruto a couple attempts to write the text. He settled on a simple 'hey'.

"Naruto? What are you gonna get?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked up, not sure who had asked him.

"What are you going to drink?" Kiba asked again. Everyone at the table turned to Naruto, looking at him with anticipation.

"Oh... Uh." Naruto picked up the menu and quickly scanned the drink options. "The peach iced tea sounds pretty good. I think I'll get that."

"I feel like that's more of a summer drink," Kiba commented.

Naruto shrugged, acting as nonchalant as possible. "I don't think drinks are limited to seasons."

"Hi, I'm Hannah and I'll be serving you today. Is everyone ready to order?" A brunette waitress asked, tapping her pen on her notepad.

The group proceeded to order their drinks, starting with Sakura. Naruto was listening to Lee second guess if he really wanted the Pepsi when his phone vibrated.

(12:23 PM): Hi.

Naruto wasted no time in responding, his fingers traveling quickly over the keyboard.

(12:24 PM): _How is your day going?_

Naruto smiled down at his phone. Talking to Sasuke always felt new and exciting, even though they had been talking for awhile. Even a simple greeting made Naruto's heart jump in his chest.

"Yo, Naruto? It's your turn."

Naruto looked up. "Right, sorry about that. I'll have the peach iced tea."

"I'll be back with all of your drinks in a minute."

"Now we have to figure out what we want to eat. Hopefully you're less indecisive this time," Kiba teased Lee, poking him with the menu. Lee karate chopped the menu, making it fall to the ground.

"We could all get a giant pizza to share," Lee said, smirking as he watched Kiba pick up the fallen menu.

"That would be gone in five seconds," Sakura said. "We'd have to each order a giant pizza."

Naruto looked back down at his phone and smiled. Another text from Sasuke.

(12:28 PM): Fine I suppose. Currently on a break at practice.

(12:29 PM): _Glad to hear you're actually taking breaks_

(12:30 PM): We have to. Mr.Hatake makes us.

(12:31 PM): _Good. Breaks are important :) Has Ino said anything to you yet?_

(12:32 PM): No. There's still time for that though. I think she sees that I'm busy on my phone so she's leaving me alone. Thank you for that.

(12:33 PM): _No problem! Anything to keep her from bothering you_

(12:34 PM): How's your day going?

This time, Naruto caught the return of the waitress before his friends could call him out on being preoccupied.

"I'll have the fettuccine alfredo." As soon as he ordered, he went back to texting Sasuke.

(12:37 PM): _Good. Went to an arcade with some friends and now we're at a restaurant_

(12:38 PM): That sounds a lot more fun than my day. How was the arcade?

(12:40 PM): _Pretty fun. We should go sometime. They have DDR which I know you would be great at ;)_

(12:41PM): I don't know. DDR isn't the same as actually dancing. It's more of being able to tap your feet fast.

(12:42 PM): _Shhhhhh. I know you would do great. Would you believe me if I told you I actually beat someone in DDR?_

(12:43 PM): No.

(12:44 PM): _I did!_

(12:45 PM): Ok now we need to go to an arcade so I can see this in person. There's no way that fumbling mess that danced with me beat anyone in a dance game.

(12:46 PM): _I thought it was just about tapping your feet? hahaha_

(12:47 PM): Still, no way. I don't buy it.

(12:48 PM): _You'll have to take my word for now until we can visit one_

(12:49 PM): I better be careful or you'll replace me in the show with how good you are.

"What are you smiling at?" Lee nudged Naruto, startling him. He was smiling? He had no idea.

"I-"

"Oooh Naruto who you talking to?" Kiba leaned over. Naruto clicked his phone off and shielded it with his hand.

"No one," He said, hoping his face didn't betray him.

"Yeah? Unlock your phone and show us what you were last on then."

"Who said I was on my phone?"

"Well, is there another reason you were looking down at your crotch and smiling?"

"Kiba oh my god I was _not_ doing that," Naruto stammered, completely mortified. "I just thought of something funny that's all." He shoved his phone back in his pocket. "How long do you think until our food comes?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you weren't aware, Italics are Naruto and Sasuke is regular font in the texting scene. Whew another long chapter here we go haha I hope you enjoyed. Not gonna lie, I was cracking up at some of my own dialogue. Naruto and his friends always have some funny moments.


	35. Overheard

Sasuke was annoyed when he woke up to the piercing sound of his alarm. He needed to get up and get ready for his one on one practice with Mr.Hatake, but he was incredibly out of it. He knew that he had to get up and he _wanted_ to, it was just that his body didn't understand that.

Despite his body wanting to remain in a horizontal position, Sasuke forced himself upright and out of bed. He moved through his morning routine in somewhat of a slump. It was a miracle that Sasuke ended up showered, fed, and clothed—all on time too.

Seeing Mr.Hatake made him feel a bit better when Sasuke walked into the studio. He dropped his duffel bag off alongside the outer edge of the studio and walked over to the middle of the floor.

"Hey superstar. You ready to get practicing?"

"I guess," Sasuke sighed. "Start up the music."

Mr.Hatake looked at Sasuke and frowned. "That doesn't sound convincing. Are you okay?"

Sasuke's shoulders sagged. "Yeah." Even he could hear the lack of vigor in his voice.

"What’s bothering you?"

"It doesn’t matter, let’s just get into practicing." To show his 'enthusiasm', Sasuke did a plié.

"You know that practice doesn’t go well when your mind is stuck on something," Mr.Hatake said. "It’s better to get it out. That way, you can focus."

"Fine. I’ll humor you, this once," Sasuke said. "This morning I woke up super unmotivated. Like, I wanted to come in here but for some reason all my body wanted to do was lay there."

Sasuke thought Mr.Hatake would look more at ease now that he opened up. Instead, he was more concerned.

"Have you been okay lately?"

"I guess? I don’t know."

"Taking care of yourself also includes mentally and emotionally. If your mind isn’t here, you won’t be able to dance well."

"I know, I know." He heard variations on the self care speech hundreds of times before without thinking too much of it. For some reason this time, it took him aback. His mental well-being was something he often brushed to the side.

"If the role is too stressful, I can give you another pa-"

"No! No. I can handle it." Sasuke didn’t care how bad the stress got. He would rather anything happen than lose this lead and let it slip through his fingers. A small fraction of Sasuke _was_ nervous about doing well, of course. He would’ve been foolish to think a lead this major was no big deal. But he wasn’t going to give into the pressure.

_Pull yourself together Sasuke. You got this._

"I know you were really excited to get the part of Don Quixote, but I don’t want you to take on a role that’s going to impact you negatively," Mr.Hatake said. "There’s no shame in stepping down."

Sasuke turned to look his teacher dead in the eye, his jaw clenched firmly.

"I meant what I said. I’m not stepping down from this role. I can handle it."

"Okay, Okay. I believe you. Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself, okay kid?"

Sasuke nodded. "I’ll try."

"With that settled, we’re going to get started. Since this role is fairly new to you, we’ll be doing some light work today and getting you used to the feeling of the character. In the next coming rehearsals, we’ll move into the more dance intensive stuff."

"You got it, Sir."

******

Practice was a little shorter than usual which Sasuke wasn’t complaining about. He knew it wouldn’t last like that for long. The first few sessions when they were starting a new show were always fairly painless—compensation for later, much more strenuous rehearsals.

Sasuke drank a generous sip from his water bottle and toweled off his sweat. When he finished cleaning himself up, he changed out of his ballet slippers and into his sneakers.

With his things packed away, Sasuke made his way out of the studio and into the hallway. The second he walked through the doorway, his body collided with something solid.

He didn’t expect anything to be blocking his path. His body didn’t have time to react as he fell to the ground, landing ungraciously. The carpet of the hallway rubbed against his arms, making his skin burn.

Sasuke looked up to see who knocked into him. Sure enough, it was his absolute favorite person in the whole world. Sasuke bit down on his tongue and stood back up, brushing himself off.

"What great timing you have, Ino."

"Oops. Forgot to check if anyone was leaving," Ino said almost as insincerely as Sasuke sounded this morning.

"Yeah I’m sure about that," Sasuke scoffed. "What are you doing here? We don’t have class today."

"It’s funny you ask that." Ino pulled the band wrapped around her large platinum ponytail tighter. "I couldn’t find my jacket at home. The last time I remembered wearing it was last class we had, so I came to check. But," She paused. "I saw you were inside so I didn’t go in."

"I don’t think there were any jackets in there."

"What I did, however, when I saw that you were inside was listen for a bit," Ino continued, her wicked smile growing in intensity. "And I have to say, I agree with Mr.Hatake. I don’t think you can handle a big lead such as this. You’re used to the ensemble."

Sasuke’s left hand that was on the strap of his bag pulled the duffel closer to his body. "I can handle it, thank you very much. You should worry about your own lesser role. Who do you play again? A friend to a part that's more important than yours? I can’t remember." Every word he spoke was filled with as much snark as he could condense.

Ino’s blue eyes blazed with anger. Her grin lessened, the corners of her mouth twitching. She breathed in before speaking again.

"Like I was saying, clearly you aren’t mentally capable enough for a lead like Don Quixote. I heard what you said."

"Then you also heard me say how I can and _will_ succeed in the lead of Don, right?"

Ino dismissively laughed. "Words can only carry you so far. I can tell you’re struggling. That’s a perk of working alongside you for a large majority of my life."

"I’m not struggling because of this role. It’s... never mind. Anyways, point is that I’m going to succeed like I always do. You can keep doubting though. I know you love to."

Ino looked over Sasuke’s head. "Since you’re out of there now, I’m going to go look for my jacket. Have a nice day... Don." Ino turned the door handle and walked inside the studio. As the door closed behind her, he heard her voice; shrill from going up a couple octaves.

"Awe Mr.Hatake how good to see you!"

******

Back at the apartment, Sasuke cast his bag aside and flopped down on the couch. It was strange. With a practice not even comparable to his usual ones, he felt about the same level of tiredness. He chalked it up to not getting enough sleep, though he wasn’t certain that’s what it was. Could it have been... seeing that strange man?

Even thinking about it in the safety of his apartment made his toes curl. He wasn’t anywhere near the convenience store or the man and yet, his image was stuck in his head like a cruel photograph.

_I shouldn’t even care. It wasn’t actually him._

But that wasn’t enough. No matter how many times he told himself logically that it wasn’t that man, he couldn’t stop from replaying that moment when he saw him. Seeing the stranger that had a strong resemblance was almost as bad as seeing the actual man himself.

That’s when it came—the flashback. It had been so long since he had one that it made his entire body tense up.

_He was in the cramped closet; peering out and trying to quiet his raggedy breaths. He heard his silent prayers in his head like desperate cries._

_Not me. Not me. Not me. Please not me._

_Time passed in what felt like eons. He had no idea how long he was balled up in the dark space for. It felt like hours, days, even weeks, all at once. He trembled against the back of the closet; worried his quivering was going to give him away._

Sasuke pulled himself out of the flashback before he fell into it deeper. Though he managed to bring himself back to the present, that didn’t undo the effects. Sasuke curled up on the couch into a shaky ball.

He couldn’t do anything for a couple of minutes. He was as stupid and helpless as he was in that moment all those years ago and it made him feel even worse. Maybe if wasn’t such a coward, he could’ve...

Sasuke’s trailing thoughts were interrupted with the incessant ring of his phone. He slowly sat up and looked over at the caller ID. It was some unknown number. Figures.

Sasuke threw the phone away from him, not wanting to hear it any longer. Whoever was trying to sell him a timeshare or some extremely limited product could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After that long chapter, here is a much shorter one haha. We love an author who isn't consistent with chapter lengths. We hit 90K words so cheers to that!!


	36. The L Word

Naruto leaned back in his desk chair, tapping his foot on the floor of his cubicle. Another boring day at the office. He was so bored, in fact, that he finished everything Jiraiya had told him he had to get done and hours before he intended. When he asked Jiraiya if he could go home earlier, the man shot him a disapproving look.

"Find something to do then. I'm not paying you to sit in your house," he said, setting down one of his filthy novels for long enough to glare at Naruto and get the point across.

So back to his desk Naruto went, wishing after it was too late that he had made an offhand comment about the boss of their company wasting time by reading pornographic material. Naruto sat down with a sigh, staring ahead at his computer.

He considered texting Sasuke, but the idea was crushed before it was barely formed. Sasuke was at practice. There was no way he was going to be near his phone.

He thought of messaging his friends, but realized they were also busy with their respective jobs. He truly was doomed to sit in his swivel chair until it reached five. Scanning over his desk for something to save him from dying of boredom, he grabbed his animal figurines and played around with them.

While he made his frog hop over to a stack of papers he pretended was a tall mountain, he had an idea. He could use his extra time to plan a nice date for Sasuke. They never agreed to meet up tonight, but a little spontaneity never hurt anyone. Both him and Sasuke could use a break from their routines.

Naruto set his smiling frog down and got to thinking: what could he do to wow Sasuke?

They had been to the movies, gone to dinners, and seen art at museums. Naruto needed something different that would be a breath of fresh air. That's when the idea came to him. It would take a bit of setup, but it was manageable. Naruto figured out what he needed to get on his way home, typing a makeshift list into his phone notes. Planning a date made the meandering hours tick by.

Naruto was relieved when the clock struck five. He got on his jacket and tidied up his desk to how it was when he came in this morning.

"Heading out for the day?" Choji, briefcase in hand, called out to Naruto from his desk.

"Yep. You going out too?"

Choji nodded. "We can walk out together if that's fine with you."

"Sure." Naruto grabbed his phone and went over to Choji. "Stairs or elevator?"

"Elevator. You usually take the stairs?"

"I try. It's good exercise." Naruto pressed the elevator button.

"No thank you," Choji laughed. "It would be time to leave by the time I got up here."

The metallic doors slid open, revealing an empty elevator. Naruto let Choji step in first, hanging back until the larger man was situated. Naruto walked in and pressed the button for the ground floor.

"How are things going with that guy?"

"Hm?" Naruto wasn't sure what Choji was referring to at first, tilting his head in confusion. The elevator closed, the doors shutting with a creak. It began to descend.

"The guy you were talking to me about a couple weeks ago. You said you were were worried you messed up stuff between you guys," Choji said. "Sound familiar now?"

"Ohhhh, yeah." Naruto had forgotten he talked to Choji about that. "We ended up discussing it and he said he likes me too so we're seeing each other now."

"Really? That's great." Choji smiled. "I'm glad it's working out for you."

"I was surprised. I thought he was never gonna talk to me again after I kissed him. Thankfully, that wasn't the case." Naruto held onto the side of the elevator with his free hand. "Tonight I'm planning a date for us."

"Ooh tell me more." The elevator reached the ground floor, opening back up. Choji walked out first, Naruto close behind him. As they walked to their cars, Naruto told him about his date plans.

"That's cute. How did you come up with that?"

"I'm... not even sure. It kinda just came to me." Naruto saw his car in the distance. "It's weird. In my past relationships, I wasn't super romantic. Like, I was okay. But nothing to this extent."

"That's love for ya," Choji said. "Ah. My car's here. I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck on your date!"

"Thanks." Naruto watched Choji get in the car and drive away. Standing by himself in the middle of the parking lot, he thought about what Choji said.

_Love._

He loved his friends. He loved ramen. He loved sunsets and the smell of the air after it rained. He loved how it felt to drink water after being exhausted. He loved when a new episode of a TV show he liked came out. He loved a lot.

But the kind of love Choji meant was a completely different animal. That kind of love was extremely intimate and not spoken of lightly. It was the subject of countless songs, movies, and books.

He had always liked Sasuke. From the very first second his eyes made contact with him, he was entranced with the dancer—seeing him light up the stage with his immense talent and leaving Naruto at a loss for words. As their relationship developed, it became more than an initial infatuation. He learned that Sasuke was a complex and fascinating individual beyond just his passion for his career.

It excited Naruto that he still had more to learn about him. Even if Sasuke told him every single thing about himself, Naruto wanted to know more. He couldn't get enough of Sasuke.

Sasuke wasn't easy—that was never up for debate—but Naruto didn't care. It was more interesting to him than someone who was a complete open book. It felt more special those times Sasuke did share things with him.

Thoughts of Sasuke and love running through his mind, Naruto unfroze from his spot and walked over to his car. He unlocked it, getting inside and setting his phone down in the passenger seat. Now that he was free from the boredom that was work, it was time to put his hypothesized date plan into action.

******

Sasuke was going to be there any minute now. Naruto put the finishing touches on the setup, making sure everything looked right. He stepped back, admiring his work. He ran back inside so he would hear Sasuke when he arrived. In a couple minutes, the doorbell rang. Naruto ran over to the door, peeping through the window. He saw Sasuke's warped outline through the glass.

Smiling, Naruto opened the door. Sasuke stood on the porch in an outfit like he hadn't ever seen the raven wear. On top of his dark hair was a floppy furred hat. He had on a puffy jacket that made him look larger than he actually was. Wrapped around his neck was a grey scarf. Tapping along his jeans were gloved hands. Naruto looked him up and down from his hat to his boots, letting out a small chuckle.

"Wow, you really listened when I said to dress warm."

"I look like I'm about to go on a ski trip. Is that why you called me over here?" Sasuke wasn't as amused as Naruto was by his fashion choices.

"No. I just didn't want you to get cold. You definitely won't now."

"I had to dig this stuff out of my closet. Some of this stuff I haven't touched in years." Sasuke played with the fringed end of his scarf. "I had to brush dust off."

"Now it's all good for next time you need it," Naruto said, pulling on Sasuke's scarf and bringing him closer. "I think it looks cute on you."

"I'm sure you do." Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes before his own darted somewhere else. "Can I come inside?"

"Actually, no."

"You're gonna make me wear this all night?" Sasuke looked appalled.

"No. Just... come with me." Naruto grabbed Sasuke by his hand and led him around back.

"This is the start to every horror movie," Sasuke said, holding onto Naruto's hand tightly. "I can't see where I'm going."

"I promise I'm not gonna murder you." Naruto guided Sasuke through the darkness. As they got closer to the backyard, Naruto saw the fuzzy outline of lights. "You should be able to see better now."

"What is all of this?" Sasuke dropped Naruto's hand and slowly stepped forward. The barren trees that seasons ago had been full of healthy leaves were strung up with strands of white lights. Snow nested in the indents of the branches, illuminated by the tiny bulbs.

Not only were the trees decorated, but so were the bushes along the ground and anything else that was able to hold up the weight of lights.

"I don't know if you like those light displays that are done in the winter, but I wanted to make one for you. I know it's not as cool as some of other ones, but I hope you like it," Naruto said.

"No, it's really pretty," Sasuke touched one of the lights. "You set this up all for me?"

"I did. I think I bought out almost all of the lights at the store. They'll have to re-stock."

"I see why. There's so many it's almost daytime out here."

"This is why I said to dress warm. I didn't want you to be cold while we're out here." Naruto touched Sasuke's jacket sleeve. "I'm glad you took what I said seriously. Otherwise, you'd have been freezing."

"I would've been just fine." Sasuke crossed his arms. "I'll prove it to you." He reached up to where the zipper of his coat laid flat and tugged on it, exposing a navy blue sweater underneath.

"As much as I wouldn't mind seeing you barely clothed, I don't want you to get frostbite." Naruto zipped Sasuke's jacket back up. "That wouldn't be ideal."

Sasuke turned—his back facing Naruto—as he continued to admire the lights. Naruto smiled, content with watching him. He could see the glowing reflections in Sasuke's eyes; modeling that of the stars in the sky. How was it possible that no matter what he did, he always looked incredible? Even if it was as simple as looking at lights.

Naruto was so lost in his Sasuke trance that he didn't notice at first the soaking wetness of his shirt. He looked down, seeing the growing wet spot, and tried to find the cause. It didn't take long for him to find out. Sasuke had traces of snow on his gloves and a small smirk on his face.

"Should've been paying attention. You never know when an impromptu snowball fight could happen." Sasuke rolled another snowball and threw it Naruto's way. The blonde was ready this time. He ducked. The snowball soared over his head and landed into the snowy bank.

Naruto dropped down to the ground and made his own snowball; quickly rounding it out to be as spherical as he could manage in a couple seconds. He stood back up and prepared to launch it at Sasuke, but was disappointed. Sasuke was no longer in view.

"Where did you go?" Naruto murmured, turning around in a circle. "You couldn't have gone that far." It didn't help that the lanky outlines of the trees resembled the dancer's limber body. When Naruto thought he finally spotted him, it was yet another slender trunk.

"Come out come out wherever you are," Naruto said in a soft voice. "I know you're near..." As he was about to look in another direction, an overwhelming sensation of coldness chilled his hair.

Naruto frantically swatted at the snow, whirling around and nearly falling over. He saw him at last.

"Too slow," Sasuke said, standing with one leg sticking out from the other. "Looks like this snowball fight is won by-"

While Sasuke was talking, Naruto made a snowball and threw it squarely at his chest. It landed; the compact ball exploding and bits of snow bouncing off Sasuke's coat.

"Clever," Sasuke said. "It's on."

Sasuke didn't retreat back to the shadows. He and Naruto faced off; a slew of snowballs flying back and forth. Sasuke was better at dodging while Naruto was better at throwing. They both ended up about equally covered in snow.

Sasuke winded up to throw another snowball when Naruto ran at him and tackled him to the ground. The snowball was lodged free from his hand, dissolving into the mounds of snow. Naruto landed on top of Sasuke, their faces inches apart.

Sasuke's hat had fallen over his eyes. Naruto pushed it back so it framed his face instead of covering it. He scooped up a handful of snow and held it in front of Sasuke's face menacingly.

"Any last words?"

Sasuke wriggled under Naruto. Naruto kept him pinned down, moving the snowball closer.

"I guess you don't."

Naruto smashed the snowball into Sasuke's face. He heard a gasp from the raven's mouth, as if he braced for the incoming flurry of flakes. Sasuke shook his head, some of them falling back onto Naruto.

"I admit defeat. Just don't do that again." Sasuke shuddered, trying to shake off the remaining snow from his damp face. "That was so cold."

"I can warm you up." Naruto leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sasuke. The two kissed in the cold of the night, lights shining down on them. Naruto pulled away and looked into Sasuke's eyes.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that."

"Oh really?"

"I mean it. You never bore me. Every time we hang out it gets better and better and I'm really glad you decided to give me the time of day to get to know you," Naruto said. "I hope that I can learn even more about you as time goes on."

Sasuke smiled bashfully. "We'll see."

"You are the most incredible person I've ever met. I get why everyone that you dance with is jealous of you. None of them could hold a candle to you. I know I'm rambling but... I just wanted to say that..."

_Deep breath Naruto_

"I love you."

The best way Naruto could describe Sasuke as was stunned. His eyes were as wide as the full moon that shone tonight and his cheeks were flushed either from the cold or the confession or... both? He blinked rapidly a couple of times.

"I..." Sasuke looked off to the side, not meeting Naruto's persistent gaze. "No. You can't."

Naruto recoiled; Sasuke's words like a physical blow. Not only had he rejected the words that took him a crazy amount of courage to say, but he flat out told Naruto that he couldn't.

"I don't understand."

"You can't. You just... can't." Sasuke rolled out from under Naruto and rose to his feet. He breathed out, puff of breath materializing in front of him across the dark sky. He put his hands to his head as if he had a raging headache.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you or anything. It's okay if you don't feel the same." Naruto stood up and tried to put a smile on his dejected face. Sasuke paced back and forth, his boots leaving deep imprints in the snow. He turned to say something, but closed his mouth and ran away.

"Sasuke?" Sasuke was gone again, except this time it was much more serious. No longer was it a funny little game of hiding from incoming snowballs. Naruto followed the trail of boot prints. They ended where the driveway began. Naruto looked at the cars in the driveway. There were two. Sasuke was still there.

Naruto looked towards his house and saw a flash of movement through the window. He ran up to the front door and went inside.

"Sasuke? You don't have to run from me, it's okay," He called out, seeing if he could locate the blur he caught outside. He halted his walk, listening for any vocal cues. He swore he heard some heavy breathing and moved towards the possible sound. Sasuke was in the family room, hunched over on the couch.

Naruto approached him slowly. "Hey Sasuke. I'm here, okay? I didn't want to sneak up on you and scare you." He walked around and sat down beside him on the couch. Sasuke's head was turned away, his dark hair falling down so Naruto couldn't see much of his face.

Sasuke inhaled shakily and placed his hands on his knees. "You can't like me. You can't care about me."

"Why's that?"

Sasuke froze. "You can't. "

"That's not a reason."

"I don't..."

"You don't what?"

"I don't want you... to be taken from me too."

"Taken from you? What are you talking about?" Naruto moved to see more of Sasuke, but he was intent on looking in another direction.

"Nothing, forget it." Sasuke stood up. "I should be getting home. I have to wake up early tomorrow. Have a good night, Naruto. Thank you again for the lights. They were nice." He said the entire sentence without even glancing at Naruto once. Naruto's heart sank in his chest as Sasuke walked away, the door closing soundly behind him as Naruto sighed.

_I'm an idiot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but Sasuke is me running away from things lmaooo he truly is the king of avoidance.


	37. Searching

The day after Naruto confessed that he loved Sasuke was weird. Getting his feelings out in the open should've made him feel great, but he couldn't help but feel the opposite, poring over what went wrong. Was it too soon? Was he so caught up in all of his emotions that he failed to understand that it was only one sided? He didn't know. Feelings weren't exactly his strong suit.

Work was excruciating. Any focus that he might've had was dashed by fretting over Sasuke. He couldn't write a report on the company's projected outlook when he was consumed with intense worry. The thought that he ruined things between him and Sasuke kept flashing throughout his mind. It didn't matter how much he pretended to be involved in work. He couldn't help but feel like he really fucked up this time.

Amidst the cloud of distress was something that stuck out to Naruto. He couldn't figure out the meaning behind the sentence when Sasuke spoke it in his muted tone.

_"I don't want you to be taken from me too."_

Naruto drummed his pen along his desk. Who had been taken from Sasuke? It was the first time Naruto heard anything of the sort. The more he considered it, the more he was convinced that the dancer probably had a falling out with someone close to him. That would also explain why it was harder for him than the average person to open up to new people.

Either that or maybe a past relationship burned out sooner than expected. Bad relationships tended to have lasting negative effects. It was very possible something like that happened and made Sasuke wary about love and feelings.

There was no good way to bring his thoughts on the matter up. Navigating heavy emotions such as this required careful handling. Naruto couldn't just mention it out of the blue. He had to ease Sasuke into talking.

It was very apparent to Naruto that no matter what it was, it still bothered him deeply to this day. Naruto wasn't a psychologist by any means, but he thought it would be good for Sasuke to talk and get it off his chest, especially if he had been keeping it there for awhile.

Naruto turned to the internet for suggestions. He didn't have any specifics to work with, so he went as vague as possible.

_'What to do when something is bothering you'_

Naruto clicked on the first article that came up. It listed out several different ways to help cope with letting go of things. He scrolled through the page and read through the seven solutions.

_Breathe_

_Empty Your Mind_

_Visualize_

_Write_

_Distract Yourself_

_Ritualize_

_Use Logic_

Sasuke had distracting down. He was good at avoiding anything he didn't want to talk about. As for the other suggestions, Naruto wasn't sure how well they would work. Breathing was good for panic and short term issues. If the problem was an extensive as Naruto suspected, it would take a lot more than some breathing exercises.

Moving beyond the one list, Naruto tried other resources. He must've spent a good hour reading through online articles. His eyes were starting to blur from staring at the screen for so long. The general consensus from everything he came across was that whatever it was that was bothersome, the individual had to process it and work through it. How they did that, however, varied.

Lots of the articles said that the person in question should have a good support system. Despite Sasuke rejecting him, Naruto wanted to be there for him. He wasn't sure the exact inner workings of Sasuke's interpersonal relationships, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Sasuke didn't have that much in terms of support. The dancer preferred to be on his own. He knew that much. It would make sense that he didn't have many people to turn to.

_If none of these solutions work, consider seeking therapy. Therapy has a lot of different uses. People that go have issues that range in severity. Even if what you're experiencing is something minimal, therapy is a good option. It can really help with working out problems and finding ways to cope. Sometimes it's good to get a second opinion on whatever it is that you're going through._

Naruto looked up from the article and tried to picture Sasuke in therapy. It would probably go over about as well as when Naruto prodded Sasuke into giving him answers. Sasuke would cross his arms and look at the therapist with an unamused expression. The whole session would be the two of them in a stare off.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to mention it to Sasuke. His reaction couldn't be any worse than him not saying 'I love you' back.

******

"Naruto?" Sasuke's shocked voice greeted Naruto as he held his phone up to his ear.

"Hey." Naruto walked over to his couch and leaned back, smiling into the phone. "How're you doing?"

On Sasuke's end, Naruto heard shuffling. "Good. Just got back to the apartment."

"Wow, me too," Naruto said. "I mean, no. Not your apartment. That would be weird. I meant my own place."

"I got what you were saying," Sasuke said with a laugh. "I would see you right now if that was true."

After all the awkwardness that ensued, Sasuke's laugh was a relief to Naruto's ears. It made things feel a lot less heavy.

"Right, right. I swear I wouldn't creepily sneak into your apartment."

"I know."

"How was practice?"

"As you would expect," Sasuke sighed. "I'm quite sore."

"I can give you a massage if you want," Naruto said without really thinking. "Oh god sorry."

Another laugh from Sasuke. Naruto was feeling blessed. "It's fine. Yeah, maybe sometime I should look into getting one. My muscles are always tense."

"That's not good." Naruto balanced the phone between his thumb and index finger. "Y'know how important it is to take care of your body."

"I do. I've heard that one just short of a million times."

"I'll make it a million."

"Thanks," Sasuke said. "We both know I'm not the best when it comes to that."

"It's probably the _only_ thing you're not good at." Naruto could see the eye roll from there as he complimented Sasuke.

"Riiiight."

"Actually, I change my original answer. The only other thing you aren't good at is accepting compliments."

"You got me there."

There was a natural lapse in conversation that happened on phone calls. Naruto didn't mind sharing silence with Sasuke, but with what was on his mind, it was more on the suffocating side this time. He coughed, clearing his throat.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." The last word was more choked out than enunciated clearly. He wasn't surprised by what Sasuke replied with.

"Hm? What was that?"

"I, uh, was just saying that I wanted to talk to you about something." Naruto dug his fingers into the couch. He held his breath as he awaited a response.

"What is it?"

"Ummm," Naruto stammered. "I was thinking about yesterday and..."

"Oh... _that_." Sasuke inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry for not saying it back. It's just-"

"I wasn't talking about that."

"You weren't?"

"No."

"Then what? Because I'm lost."

"I'm worried about you." Naruto clutched the phone tightly to his ear. "Really worried."

"You're always worried about me. That's not new."

"I mean, you're right, but... worried in a different way."

"Yeah?"

"Usually when I worry about you, it's physically. You struggle with keeping yourself healthy."

"Wow, thanks for the call out," Sasuke sarcastically said.

"I didn't mean to call you out. I said that to compare it to how this worry is different." Naruto shifted how he was sitting on the couch. One of his legs sat folded over the other as he prepared to get into it. No more beating around the bush. If he did, Sasuke would talk avoidant circles around him before he could get his point out.

"This time, it's mentally and emotionally. In our last face to face conversation, you said something. That wasn't the first time you've said stuff like that, but it really stuck out to me."

"Remind me. What did I say?" Sasuke asked. "Actually no. Don't tell me. I don't want to know. I'm sure it was something stupid."

"It wasn't stupid. Nothing you ever have to say is stupid," Naruto said. "It was when I sat next to you on the couch. You told me that I can't care about you and when I asked why-"

"No need to go further. I remember," Sasuke cut him off sharply.

"I was thinking about it all day. I'm not sure what you meant by that. I have a couple ideas, but-"

"I don't need to hear theories on my life," Sasuke snapped. "Come up with theories on your own life."

"You can always talk to me. I'm here for you."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Sasuke angrily sighed. "I don't need to talk to anyone."

"If you don't want to talk to me, you can always try therapy or something like that. Talking about stuff that bothers you is good. I read some articles this morning and-"

For the third time, Sasuke cut Naruto off. "Therapy?! You think I need _therapy_?!" His voice was so loud that Naruto had to hold the phone back from his ear temporarily to save his hearing from being damaged. "I don't need any of that shit."

"I wasn't saying you needed it, I'm sorry. It's only a suggestion. Keeping stuff in only leads to you feeling worse down the road." Naruto felt his handle on the situation slipping, but he couldn't do much about it. He had to keep pressing onward. He hated seeing Sasuke hurt and by his incredibly defensive nature, it was clear to Naruto that he hit a nerve.

"I'm fine on my own. I don't need your help or some 'professional' who thinks they know me after talking to me for an hour a week."

"There's no shame in accepting help or support. I know you think that, but there isn't."

"I don't need therapy, I don't need help, and I certainly don't need you advising me on what to do." Sasuke hung up.

Naruto let the phone fall from his hand onto the couch. He wanted to clear things up with Sasuke, but no matter what he did, he just made the situation worse. He left his phone to sit in between the crease of the cushions as he hauled himself up over to the liquor cabinet. A drink sounded nice after yet another failed attempt to make things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst continues.


	38. Silenced

Sasuke's life had somewhat of a pattern. When one aspect was going well, another suffered. This wasn't always the case, but he found it to be true a lot of the time. It was nearly impossible to have a perfect life at any given point, but he supposed that was how the world worked. Perfection rarely existed in absolutes.

Sasuke wasn't an idiot. He knew his relationship with Naruto was not exactly thriving at the moment. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. To make matters worse, it was most likely his fault. No, he knew for sure that it was. In every relationship he had ever been in (romantic or platonic), he was the cause of things going awry. He shouldn't have been shocked that his relationship with Naruto was following a similar course.

He didn't like it. He didn't want to be the reason he was ruining one of the only relationships he truly cherished. To know that he would be be the reason that Naruto eventually gave up on him and left hurt, and it hurt bad.

Through the hurt, he knew it was inevitable. Yet another pattern. He liked someone. They liked him. They began seeing each other. They wanted to get to know him better. He distanced himself. They stopped talking. It was only a matter of time before the same happened with Naruto. At this point, it was a waiting game: How much longer would Naruto continue to try and 'help' him until he came to the realization that it wasn't worth it and Sasuke couldn't be helped?

It couldn't be long now. On average, most guys gave up after a week or so after Sasuke started to be distant. Sasuke wasn't sure how long it had been now, but it was over a week for sure. Maybe even two. Naruto's patience had to start waning. It _had_ to.

Sasuke knew he should've done it sooner before he got as attached as he was. That always made it harder. He just... couldn't help it. Being with Naruto was nice and it was hard to resist indulging in that. As much as he knew he couldn't have Naruto, having someone that cared about him felt good. Too bad it wouldn't last forever.

He would miss Naruto. There weren't many guys like him out that. Scratch that, there weren't many people in general that were like him. Naruto was so kind, considerate, and sweet and the more he thought of it, that aching pain in his chest grew unbearable.

Sasuke laid in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, when his phone rang. He was confused. Today was his day off and he wasn't even supposed to be awake at the moment. His plan was to sleep in till at least 8 or 9, but thoughts of Naruto made it impossible to find the peace of mind required for slumber. Whoever was trying to reach him was surely confused.

Sasuke groaned and swatted his hand around to locate his phone. He found it buried between his sheets and his comforter. No idea how it had gotten there from his bedside table, he squinted at the flashing screen.

"Jeanie?" He said as he answered the call.

"Hi. I was told to reach you and see if you were coming in this morning for practice. You didn't show up and Mr.Hatake wanted me to check in with you."

"There's practice today? I thought it was my day off." Sasuke stared blankly at the phone. He could've sworn Mr.Hatake said he didn't have to come in today.

"Hmmm nope. I think you're confused. I'm pretty sure your next off day isn't for a couple days. I could check if you want."

"No, no. It's fine. Tell Mr.Hatake I'll be there soon." Sasuke threw the covers off and hung up. It appeared that this morning he wouldn't be having a relaxing shower to begin the day.

******

Sasuke didn't get late to class often. He was on top of his game when it came to his schedule. In his defense, he didn't think he had to come in today. That's what he told himself as he locked the door behind him, drove over to the studio, and walked down the winding hallways to Room 4. Walking in late was always embarrassing. Whenever someone did so, the whole class snickered and whispered.

Not to mention, it didn't look good that one of the leads was showing up late, that's for sure. Mr.Hatake would surely get a word in when class wrapped up. Thinking about it, Sasuke's steps faltered as he approached the door to the studio. He could turn around and just say he overslept...

No. He needed to face them. No running away. He was already doing that enough. With a sigh, Sasuke turned the handle and walked into the full studio.

"-and you should be making sure that when you turn, your arms come around fully. Otherwise, it looks like you're hesitating and not going all the way through with it." The grey-haired teacher had his back to Sasuke, gesticulating with his arms. The rest of the class noticed him right away, their eyes drawn to him.

"Mr.Hatake. Someone's here," Ino said, her smirk widening. "Looks like the star finally showed up."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Of course she was loving this. Anything that made him look bad was a gift to her. He walked forward.

"Sorry about that. I got confused on when to come in."

Mr.Hatake turned around slowly. Sasuke wasn't sure what the look on his face was: disappointment? annoyance?

"Glad to see you could make it. Go set your bag down and Ino will fill you in on what you missed."

"Sounds good, Sir." Sasuke hid the resentment bubbling up inside of him and walked to the back of the studio. He slumped his bag along the back wall.

"Over here." Ino waved. Mr.Hatake resumed teaching, picking up where he left off with his exaggerated arm movements. Sasuke stood next to Ino.

"What did I miss?"

"Why were you late? Think you're too good to come to class?" Ino fired back. "One lead and you already have a complex? That's sad."

"I don't have a complex. Weren't you listening? I said that I thought today was an off day."

"You would think that someone who cares so much about dance wouldn't forget when they're supposed to come in."

"I mixed up days. Don't tell me you've never done that." Sasuke glared. "I didn't come over here because I wanted to talk to you. I came over here because I was told I have to. Tell me what I missed and hop off my dick."

Ino's eyebrows pointed downwards, making her look like an angry cartoon villain. She blew out a breath of hot air and Sasuke saw her fist clench.

"I think you're full of excuses. You don't deserve-"

"Sasuke?" Mr.Hatake was next to them. The rest of the class was dancing in place. Sasuke didn't even notice the instrumental music that was playing until Mr.Hatake interrupted them. He looked from Ino to Sasuke, back to Ino.

"Did Ino catch you up?"

"Well, actually-" Sasuke started to say, but Ino didn't let him get that many words out."Yes. I caught him up," Ino said. "Isn't that right?" She smiled, daring him to challenge her.

Sasuke bit down on his tongue. As rude and conniving as she was, she was smart. He couldn't oppose her in front of their teacher. That wouldn't look good. She was forcing his hand.

"Yeah."

"Good. Thank you for that Ino. I'll take it from here."

"Sure thing, Sir." Ino smirked and walked over to a group of girls who were pirouetting.

"Was what you said true? You really didn't think you had to come in today?" Mr.Hatake said.

Here it was. Mr.Hatake was going to scold him.

"Yeah. I thought I had today off. I'm sorry. I wouldn't purposely come in late." He braced for Mr.Hatake to raise his voice.

"Try not to make it a habit."

"Of course not." So Mr.Hatake wasn't going to yell? That was a relief.

"Are you sure that you're doing okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." With both Naruto and his instructor, Sasuke was becoming pretty good at giving acceptable but vague answers. "Let's get into practicing. I'm excited to live and breathe Don Quixote."

After a tiring day of practice, Sasuke was ready to go home and collapse in bed. The intense training for the role of Don was no joke. He felt like he really went on the adventure that Don went on from all the physical exertion.

It did help Sasuke to get off his mind off of him and Naruto's relationship. He was so busy paying attention to Mr.Hatake's instruction and guidance that any thoughts of the blonde were pushed aside.

That didn't last for long though. Sasuke was packing up his bag when his phone shrilly rang.

"Must've forgotten to silence it," He muttered out loud, grabbing his phone.

_CALL INCOMING: Naruto_

Sasuke frowned and watched the phone as it kept ringing; the rings sounding like cries that desperately wanted to be answered. Sasuke didn't give in. He let the phone keep going, staring at Naruto's name. After a few more rings, the screen went dark.

Sasuke flicked a button so the ringer was off. He threw his phone in his bag and walked out of the studio, figuring Naruto was listening to his outdated voicemail from years prior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm excited to announce that I'm going to be selling shirts that say 'hop off my dick-Sasuke'. Make sure to get yours! I'm joking of course, but Sasuke snapped. A funny moment in all the sea of angst.


	39. Mistake

_Hey. If you're listening to this, I'm not around or whatever. Leave a message. Or don't. I don't really care._

A recording of Sasuke played back; his words being concluded with an instruction for leaving a message and a loud beep. Naruto bit his lip, contemplating on whether or not to leave a voicemail. In the end, he decided to speak.

"Hey Sasuke. It's me, Naruto. I was just calling to see if you wanted to hang out after you finished practice for the day. I'm about to drive home now so give me a call when you're free. I miss you." There was so much Naruto wanted to say. He wanted to say how he knew Sasuke wasn't doing okay. He wanted to tell Sasuke to stop pushing him away and instead let Naruto hold him close. He wanted to tell him that Sasuke wasn't alone in this, even if he thought that was the case.

But he didn't say any of that. He disconnected from the voicemail and set his phone down. The drive back to his house was filled with anticipation; anticipation that Sasuke would pick up his phone and give him a call.

It was safe to say that Naruto was let down when he pulled into the driveway and his phone hadn't made a single noise. He checked it to make sure. There could've been a mistake. Maybe his phone wasn't working. Technology had its malfunctions.

_No Older Notifications_

Naruto sighed. No calls, or even a text from Sasuke. He pocketed his phone and walked up to the front door of his house. The large home felt especially lonely today. Naruto threw his jacket aside, the heavy coat landing on the floor. He sat down on his couch, still in his work clothes, and flipped through the channels.

Nothing kept his interest for long. His eyes kept flitting back to his phone. Whenever it lit up, he would hastily grab it. Each time added to his growing disappointment.

_A text from Kiba. Twitter news. A new email. A reminder to go grocery shopping sometime in the coming week._

The only thing consistent with all of the notifications was that none of them were pertaining to Sasuke.

That's how it was for about another week. Naruto continuously reached out to Sasuke without receiving much in response. When he called him, he got no answer. When he texted him, he would get a reply one time out of ten. The times he did, Sasuke's responses were minimal.

Naruto couldn't take it. He missed the days when there was little distance between him and Sasuke. Back then, he had thought Sasuke was closed off. Oh, how he had no idea what was coming. He would've done anything for that to return. Anything was better than the cold shoulder he was currently being treated to.

Was this it? Was all of what they shared for nothing? Naruto didn't want to believe that. Not after he said those three sacred words to Sasuke...

He wasn't getting much reception. He couldn't let this happen. He had to find some way to talk to Sasuke. Face to face. Nothing was going to be worked out through one sided texts and calls.

The opportunity arose on a Wednesday. Naruto stopped at a 7/11 on the way home for some quick snacks. The grocery store was too far and he didn't feel like going all the way there. 7/11 would suffice for the cheap junk food he desired. Naruto parked his car near the front of the convenience store and walked inside.

A light jingle came from a bell hanging above the door. Naruto made his way over to the chips and grabbed a bag of regular and a bag of sour cream. Holding the snacks of half food and half air, he found some candy bars and added them to his full arms. Naruto turned to look for some cookies when he saw a familiar pale face with dark hair.

"Sasuke?" Somehow, Naruto managed to get Sasuke's name out. His chocolate dropped to the floor. A glare from the cashier across the store landed on Naruto. Naruto reached down to pick the chocolate up.

"Sorry about that." He balanced the chocolate and looked back to Sasuke. "Hey. What brings you here?" Naruto inhaled a shaky breath.

 _Keep your cool_.

"I need to grab a few things before I go to the apartment. It's on the way. You?"

"Pretty much the same thing." Naruto looked down at his snacks. "You don't seem to have anything yet."

"Yeah. I don't know where the water is."

"I can show you," Naruto offered, hoping the desperation running through his veins wasn't entirely obvious. He sent out a silent thanks to the higher being of the universe for allowing them to run into each other.

"Hm. Okay. Lead the way."

Sasuke didn't flat out refuse his offer. Progress. Naruto smiled and walked back to where the drinks were kept.

"You can get water in single bottles or a big pack for $20."

"Thanks." Sasuke grabbed a large pack of water and hoisted it into his arms. It wasn't long before it began to slip. Naruto reached out, stopping the water from tumbling to the ground.

"I had it," Sasuke grumbled, holding onto the package tighter. "Have a good rest of your day." He started to walk away.

"Wait." Naruto reached out and grabbed Sasuke by the arm. "Don't go. I want to talk to you. It's been awhile."

Sasuke remained still, his body frozen in place. "Has it?"

"Yeah. We haven't seen each other in weeks." Naruto was very aware of that fact. "How have you been?"

"Let's not do this in the middle of a 7/11. I know you're not gonna stop pestering me so," Sasuke paused to sigh. "Come over to my apartment."

"Okay!" Naruto's smile turned into a grin. "I can do that."

"I'll see you then." Sasuke carried his water over to the cash register. Naruto pumped his fist in the air. As a result, his accumulated pile of snacks fell from his arms.

"Oops." He collected them and finished grabbing some additional treats. When he got to the cash register to pay, Sasuke was no longer there.

"Your total comes to $52.40," The cashier said, bagging the snacks.

Naruto almost gave the cashier the wrong amount of money. He was so excited to see Sasuke that focusing on anything else was difficult. He got himself to count out the proper cash and waited for change.

_I'm really gonna see Sasuke soon. He actually invited me back to his place. This is great! I wonder-_

"10 dollars and 20 cents is your change."

"Thanks." Naruto stuffed the bills and coins into his wallet and happily carried his bags outside to his car. To Sasuke he went.

*******

Sasuke's apartment was as he remembered. Even when they regularly were seeing each other, they found themselves more at Naruto's house when they spent nights together. Naruto smiled as his eyes passed over the worn in couch and the matching curtains.

"Sorry it's messy. I didn't expect visitors," Sasuke said from behind the door.

Naruto walked further in. "That's okay. You know I don't mind."

Sasuke closed the door and settled down into the couch. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Naruto sat down on the couch, keeping a good foot of room in between them. As badly as he wanted to wrap his arms around Sasuke and hug him, he had to give Sasuke his space. The last thing he wanted was to make the man uncomfortable in anyway.

"How are you doing?" Naruto repeated his question from earlier.

"I'm doing fine. Yourself?"

Naruto debated how to answer. He could be honest and tell Sasuke how much he missed him, or he could lie and say that things had been good on his end. Decisions, decisions.

"I've been good," Naruto said. Seconds after he spoke, he felt guilty. He didn't want to lie to Sasuke. He wanted to be honest with him, even if the truth was harder to admit.

"No. I haven't been good." Sasuke's eyes widened as Naruto took back his previous statement. "Yeah. I've been worried about you. You've been distant."

"Getting straight to the point I see."

"I don't want to waste any time with you."

"I've been fine," Sasuke said. "No need to be worried."

"But there is. You haven't been answering my calls or my texts, Sasuke. What's going on?" Naruto stayed on the offense. He needed to know. It was killing him that he was left in the dark.

"I have been answering them."

"We both know that's not true."

"I shouldn't have invited you over. This was a mistake," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"It wasn't a mistake. We need to talk about this," Naruto pressed further. "I know you aren't fine. I just don't know why."

"You're reading too much into this." Sasuke stood up, turning away. "I'm fine."

"Can you look at me and seriously say that?" Naruto said, standing as well.

"I'm fine."

"You're not looking at me."

Sasuke briefly turned, half of his face showing. "I'm. Fine."

"You're a good liar."

"It's the truth." Sasuke shrugged. "Want anything to drink?"

"We need to talk. You can't get out of this by offering drinks."

"I'm gonna get something." Sasuke walked into the adjourned kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water from the sink. "You sure you don't want anything?" He asked, taking a long sip from the glass.

"I don't care about being hydrated right now. I care about how you're doing." Naruto remained firm in his position. "Fine. I'll have a water too if it means you'll actually talk to me." He thought maybe if he went along with what Sasuke suggested, he would get more out of him.

"One water coming up." Sasuke unearthed another glass from the cabinet and filled it. "Ice cubes?"

"Sure." Naruto anxiously tapped his foot while he waited for Sasuke to come back. The raven was sure taking his time; yet another stalling tactic. After what felt like ages, he returned with two glasses. The only distinction between theirs were the ice cubes. Sasuke set the glass with ice cubes down in front of Naruto. He sat down with his own drink and took another sip.

"Try it."

"I know what water tastes like." To humor Sasuke, he drank. "It's good. Now, can we please talk about what I came over to discuss?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes so far back they must've went into next week. "I have no idea what you came over to discuss."

"Yeah you do. I know you aren't doing okay."

"How did you come up with that _brilliant_ theory?" Sasuke said, sarcasm dripping from his already hostile tone. "Please, enlighten me."

"You're avoiding me. Before you started avoiding me completely, you still were starting to get more distant and less open. I want to know why. I mean, I know you were never 100% open with me, but this..." Naruto trailed off.

"This?"

"This is distant, even for you," Naruto finished his sentence.

"I'm fine."

"Stop saying that. I know you aren't. Please, be honest with me," Naruto practically begged. "You don't need to keep lying and pretending you're okay. It's okay to be hurt or struggling."

"No it's not."

"I know you think that, but it really is okay. No one is okay all of the time. It doesn't make you weak," Naruto said.

"I told you. I don't need your help or anyone's. We already had this conversation before. I told you that then and I'm telling you now. I'm fine." Sasuke took an aggressive drink from his glass and slammed it down. Somehow, it didn't break.

"We have had this conversation before. This time though, I'm not gonna let you hang up on me," Naruto said. "Well, you can't really because I'm here in person. But you get the point."

"You should leave."

"No. I'm not going to. We need to talk about this." Naruto didn't like to be so firm, but in this case he had to. He had been lenient before, but it didn't work. That's how they got here in the first place. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"Maybe we should stop seeing each other." Sasuke's gaze bore in Naruto's.

"What? Why?" Naruto, who was trying to be strong about the whole situation, suddenly felt like a piece of barbed wire had been wrapped around his throat. A spike of fear exploded somewhere deep within his body.

_I think I heard him wrong. There's no way he said that._

"It might be for the best," Sasuke said, breaking his intense stare to look off at a crooked pillow. "Normally, I wouldn't even say that much. I'd just slowly fade out of someone's life and that would be that. You're... a different case. You won't give up."

The barbed wire tightened. "No, I won't. I won't give up on you. No matter what."

"It would be a lot easier if you did," Sasuke said.

"Maybe people in your past did that, but that's not me." Naruto shook his head. "I would leave you if you didn't like me or something like that, but I have a feeling you've enjoyed our time together."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? Am I really? Are you saying that all of this meant nothing to you?" Naruto rapidly blinked his eyes, afraid the tears he felt welling up would slip out. He turned his head away to wipe a stray tear, hoping Sasuke didn't notice. He had to remain collected. Once the tears began to roll, he would break.

Sasuke didn't reply right away. His eyes moved from a pillow to what seemed to be the window. He inhaled deeply, his chest rising.

"Yes. That's what I'm saying."

Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fist; anything to stop the tears that threatened to break loose. He was losing Sasuke and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't make Sasuke want to be with him. He had tried and nothing seemed to work.

"Do you mean that?" Naruto didn't care if his desperation was showing anymore. Not having Sasuke in his life was a thousand times worse than that could've ever been.

"I do." Sasuke looked back to Naruto long enough to catch his eye. They held the eye contact until both of them dropped it. For Naruto, it was too painful. Everything inside of him hurt and ached.

"Okay... I... guess I'll get going." Naruto slowly stood up. Any faster and he would've thrown up the contents of his lunch. A widespread nausea seized his body. It was so powerful he almost had to sit back down on the couch.

But he couldn't do that. He had to leave. He couldn't see Sasuke anymore. This was it. This was the accumulation of months of talking and sharing experiences together. Every step away from Sasuke and closer to the door was excruciatingly painful. So painful that he wanted to cry out and scream that the world wasn't fair.

Once he reached the door, Naruto turned around. He looked at Sasuke for what might've been the last time, taking in all of the features he had grown to cherish and love.

"I know you feel like you have to push me away, but you don't have to. I know that you're used to being alone, but you don't have to. You deserve happiness too and I hope that one day, you find it..." Naruto made sure every word was spoken carefully. He didn't want the sentence to be misinterpreted. Sasuke had to know that his fate wasn't sealed.

"Even if it's not me that can bring you it," Naruto said, walking out of the apartment. It was only appropriate that there was a heavy snow so intense that Naruto could barely see where he was going. As he walked to his car, he wished the monstrous flakes would consume him whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for this chapter readers. The angst hurts me and I'm the one who wrote it. In happier news, thank you for 400 kudos (yes it's a little over that by now but I'm rounding down)! I never thought that 400 people would read this and think it was worthy of a kudo so thank you <33 ALSO I JUST POSTED THIS AND SAW I HIT 100K WORDS WHICH IS THE LONGEST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN TO DATE SO CHEERS ON THAT TOO :))


	40. Intrusive Dream

Sasuke watched the door close behind Naruto and let out a deep sigh. He had done it. He had really done it. He told Naruto that they couldn't see each other anymore and it hurt even more than when he imagined the conversation in his mind.

Naruto didn't say how he was feeling, but Sasuke could tell that he was incredibly pained by his words. Sasuke swore that he saw a misty look in his eyes as he was heading out of the apartment. Not to mention how his tone shifted from the start of their talk to the end.

And the last thing Naruto said... what was it? Everything happened so quickly that Sasuke's head was spinning; making it difficult to recall specificities. All he could come up with was that it had something to do with being happy.

Happy. What even was that? Sasuke knew the dictionary definition, but what was it really? Useless. It was a fleeting emotion that hardly lasted more than a couple short moments.

If he was being honest with himself—the one person he actually was honest with—he didn't like being happy. As fucked up as it sounded, it was foreign to him. He wasn't very good at it. No, he was much better being cynical and cold.

His only regret was that it was Naruto who had to be involved in Sasuke's mess. He was a great guy and it wasn't fair that he was going to be hurt in the process. Sasuke hated thinking about it. He saw how bothered Naruto was when they were in front of each other. It would probably be even worse when he was alone.

Sasuke couldn't dwell for much longer. The encounter with Naruto took up a lot of time and it was getting late. He had to sleep for practice tomorrow. On top of all of that, Sasuke didn't need another fuck up like when he mixed up the days. He dragged himself up from the couch and off to his room.

In hindsight, it might have been better to have stayed up instead of attempt sleep. Throughout the night, Sasuke was treated to an array of awful dreams. One about his family, one about Naruto, and one about losing his role in the show and it going to Ino. No matter what, his brain concocted awful scenarios that he woke up from in either an anger, a panic, or a mixture of both.

The Naruto dream was new to him. He had dreams of Naruto before, but never were they ones of this sort. The dream (or nightmare) started out with Sasuke at what appeared to be a carnival or a festival. Kids ran around the legs of exhausted parents. The smell of freshly popped kettle corn filled the air. Joyous music played from somewhere in the distance. It didn't even seem like a bad dream at first. In fact, Sasuke enjoyed looking around at the booths and vendors.

From there, it only went downhill. Sasuke strolled along the grass as his shoulder brushed against someone.

"Naruto?" Sasuke glanced at the blue-eyed blonde in surprise. He looked good in his shorts that fell just above the knee and a striped tank top. A pair of sunglasses rested in his spiky hair.

"Hey Sasuke." Naruto smiled his infectious smile that always made Sasuke crack. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed something to do for the day," Sasuke's dream-self responded. "It's a nice day for this." He motioned to the surrounding area.

Naruto nodded. "Me too. It's already been a lot of fun and we haven't been here for long."

"We?" Sasuke asked, just in time too. A man with fluffy brown hair and smooth skin strolled over to Naruto and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Whose this?" The strange man said, looking at Sasuke with an unimpressed expression.

"This is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Quinn," Naruto introduced, making Sasuke feel like he was in kindergarten. Sasuke mustered up a wave.

"We've been dating for a year now," Naruto added. Quinn giggled and grabbed onto Naruto's arm. Naruto looked over at him with the same endearing softness that he used to look at Sasuke with. Sasuke's heart shriveled up and died.

He forced himself awake after seeing that. Being awake didn't help the sadness that filled every inch of his body. Here he was supposed to be getting over Naruto and yet he was having dreams about Naruto being moved on from him and happy and as much as he hated to admit it, it killed him.

Naruto was right; he didn't _want_ to push him away. He did genuinely enjoy their time together. What was even scarier was that Sasuke felt himself loosening up around Naruto. He actually... _wanted_ to share things with him.

He couldn't go back on what he said. As much as his heart desired to be with Naruto, his brain knew better. This was for the best.

Practice that day went horrible to say the least. Sasuke kept making rookie mistakes and his brain couldn't stop its buzzing long enough for him to focus and correct them. He was doing so poorly that even Ino didn't offer any scathing remarks.

"Can you step out of the room for a minute with me?" Mr.Hatake approached Sasuke during one of his failures of a routine. Sasuke nodded. What choice did he have? Argue and make himself look even worse?

"I'll be right back everyone. Keep working," Mr.Hatake addressed the class. He led Sasuke outside of the studio and into the hallway.

"You don't need to say it," Sasuke said. "I know that I'm doing badly today." He hung his head as if it was filled with lead and the weight was too heavy to keep up.

"I figured. You're hard on yourself when you're doing well so I can imagine how it is when you're not."

"I'm sorry. I should be doing better."

"Our first show is in less than a month," Mr.Hatake said. "I'm worried that you aren't going to be ready by then. I know this role is difficult, but-"

"It's not the role," Sasuke stopped his teacher before he continued. "I mean sure, the pressure to do well is always present, but it's not that."

"What is it then? I want to help you be as ready as possible for this. You've been waiting for a chance to shine and I don't want that to be ruined for you."

"That's really kind of you, Sir. I won't go into it but... it's... a lot." Another vague answer. Sasuke was shocked that Naruto had ever gotten through to him with how unclear he always was.

Naruto.

Thinking of his name was enough to send a wave of agony throughout his body. Yesterday replayed in his mind, forgetting that he was standing with his dance teacher. He didn't notice that a tear sat in the corner of his eye until Mr.Hatake said something.

"What's wrong? You look like you're about to cry."

Sasuke cursed in his head and discreetly rubbed away the newly formed tear. "I'm fine."

"No you aren't. What is it? I need to know so I can better help you." Mr.Hatake gave him a sympathetic glance.

"I... can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Don't you need to go back into class? It won't be long before everyone starts to mess around," Sasuke said.

"They'll be fine. I want to know what's bothering you."

Sasuke was at a crossroads. He could either continue to be closed off like he was used to, or open up to his teacher. His impulse was to clamp his mouth shut and not utter another word. Another, much smaller, part of him felt something on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. He was so alone lately that he almost _wanted_ to say something.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm having problems with someone I care about. I can't help but push that person away even if it's not what I want. But that's confusing because part of me does want to push them away. It's like I'm fighting with my head 24/7."

Mr.Hatake nodded and listened to Sasuke vent. Sasuke was grateful that he didn't speak over him while he got it out. Saying it and putting it out there was hard enough.

"Why do you want to push this person away?"

 _Good question_ , Sasuke thought.

"I don't know."

"Is this person bad for you?"

"No. They're really nice and thoughtful."

"Then if it's not them, it has to be something with you," Mr.Hatake said. "Not that you feeling like this is your fault. But there's a reason that you feel that way. Do you think it's maybe because-"

"Maybe." Sasuke knew where Mr.Hatake was going with that. "That could be part of it."

"I don't think you should let yourself push this person away. If they're good for you, you should keep them close."

"But," Sasuke said. "That's scary."

"I know it is. Sometimes things that are scary aren't necessarily bad for us. Just like things that may be easier aren't good."

"Wow, when did you get all wise?" Sasuke joked.

"Through lots of experience," Mr.Hatake replied. "I want you to take the day off."

"What? Why?"

"We both know how you were doing today. I think it would be good if you went home and came back tomorrow with your mind more focused. Do whatever you need to do to get back on track."

Sasuke nodded. He couldn't disagree. Trying to dance like this was near impossible. "I'm sorry again. I don't want to let you down."

"You're not letting me down. You're still my Superstar even though you're struggling." Mr.Hatake patted Sasuke on the back. "You'll get through this."

Sasuke smiled for the first time in what felt like awhile. "Thank you."

"I'll go grab your bag for you. You can wait here."

"What are gonna tell everyone else?"

"I'll say that you felt sick and needed to go home," Mr.Hatake said. "Don't worry. I got this covered. You focus on feeling better."

"I'll try."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mr.Hatake and Sasuke stay having one of my favorite dynamics. I love them so much. I hate seeing Sasuke struggle though.


	41. Out of Nowhere

Two weeks. Two weeks had passed since Naruto saw Sasuke and had any contact with him whatsoever. It was the longest two weeks of his life. Days blended into each other. He couldn't tell Tuesday from Thursday.

The initial days afterwards were the worst. Missing Sasuke was an ache that wouldn't cease. He tried everything. He tried to put his all into work. He tried to go to the gym regularly. He tried to clean his house. He tried to get into a new TV show. None of it worked. The hole in his chest grew larger.

To everyone else, he probably appeared fine. He was getting everything done, if not more, than usual. But it was all to distract him from his feelings. Though it had minimal success, all of the activities were a temporary diversion that he desperately needed.

His boss was concerned when he asked to stay after and keep working. He couldn't explain that he didn't want to spend another second in that lonely house. Instead, he passed it off as wanting to get ahead of the game and earn some extra money. Jiraiya bought it and Naruto spent most of his nights working until the lights overhead cut out.

Him and Sasuke's last interaction was burned into his brain. He could recall every single word that was spoken. Going over the conversation was a new favorite hobby of his; searching for anything he missed. He never could find anything. Thinking about it never gave him anymore clarity than the last time he focused on it, but always brought an onslaught of pain. That never failed.

Naruto knew that they probably would never speak again. There would be no more cute dates. No more subtle gestures of affection. No more late night conversations when neither of them could sleep. Their relationship would live on in his memory and that was that. He would have to rely on whatever his mind stored to relive the past.

He was no stranger to that. Many times before had relationships not worked and Naruto was forced to move on. This time it was especially bad. He didn't want to. At all. He didn't want to begin to forget Sasuke and their time together. It meant more to him than he could put into words.

Another favorite pastime was to go through his phone for any remnants. In doing so, he found things he forgot about; notes concerning date plans, little details he learned about Sasuke like his favorite color or music genre, and the most hurtful of all—the pictures together.

One particular night, Naruto curled up in bed; wine in one hand and phone in the other. He took a sip from his glass and scrolled through the file he made of all the photos pertaining to Sasuke. It wasn't long before he was crying. The tears only increased in quantity the further he scrolled.

Him and Sasuke on their first date together. Sasuke looking at a painting in the museum. Sasuke with the bouquet Naruto got for him. Sasuke after one of his shows.

Naruto shouldn't have been doing this to himself. Surrounding himself with Sasuke-related memories was a terrible idea, objectively. It only made him feel worse and made him miss the raven even more. He should've been trying to move on.

But he couldn't bring himself to. Sasuke meant so much to him that the mere thought of losing their connection made Naruto nauseous. This was all he could do. He looked at pictures until the tears in his eyes made his vision blurry.

Eventually, Naruto reached a point where it was a challenge to hide his feelings from the people around him. He found it hard to keep putting on a happy facade day after day while inside he was miserable. Naruto didn't have a fraction of the energy required to keep the front going.

Sakura was the first one to call him on it. They were at a cafe. Sakura sipped on a latte and Naruto had a cappuccino. It was another cold day—perfect for their warm coffee drinks. Naruto glanced out of the frost covered window at the snowy street.

"How's your cappuccino?" Sakura's question jolted him out of his daze.

"It's okay. Your latte?"

"Pretty good. How are you doing lately?"

"Fine."

"I don't know if I buy that, sorry," Sakura said, tapping her fingers along the cup.

"Why not?" Naruto asked defensively. "It's the truth."

"You've barely said two words to me the entire time we've been here. I think you've looked out that window more than you've looked at me."

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized. "I didn't mean to."

"What is it? I know when you're upset."

Naruto couldn't debate that. Sakura knew him well. He sighed and took a sip of his drink before talking. The warm liquid slid down his throat. If only it was hotter and burned his throat so he couldn't speak...

"Boy problems?" Sakura added and Naruto nearly spit out his drink.

"I didn't even say anything yet!"

"I know. I'm guessing."

"Well, you aren't wrong." Naruto set the cappuccino down on the saucer.

"What happened? Who do I need to kill?"

"No killing. I still care about this person very much."

"Fine, fine. I'll temporarily put my knife away until I hear more." Sakura mimed moving an imaginary knife into her purse. "Now tell me."

Naruto didn't want to go into every painful detail. That would hurt him too much and he didn't want to risk crying in public.

"The guy I was into told me he wanted to stop seeing me a couple weeks ago." Vocalizing it made it real. Naruto didn't want it to be real. He heard his voice crack and coughed to cover it up.

_No crying._

Sakura's green eyes filled with worry. "Oh no Naruto, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. It's rough."

"How serious were you guys?"

"Pretty serious." Naruto's fist clenched under the table as he thought about it. When he answered, he immediately was brought back to the night under the lights when he told Sasuke those three words.

Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "I might have to do some beating up at the very least. No one hurts my best friend like that."

"I appreciate the sentiment."

"You're coming out with us tonight," Sakura said, her frown taken over by a determined grin.

"Coming out where?"

"We're going to a club later tonight and you're coming with. I'm not letting you mope over this guy any longer."

"I'm fine with moping."

"Nope. You're joining us. No arguing."

Being at a club was not on the list of things Naruto wanted to do. He preferred to hide away in a nest of blankets in his bed. The loud music and crowd of drunk people who thought they could dance with the alcohol running through their veins gave him a headache and he wasn't even there yet.

"I think I'll watch a movie instead."

"Nope. You can do that any other day. No movies for you tonight."

"You're not letting me get out of this, are you?"

"Correct. I'm gonna make you forget all about this guy. You're gonna have fun."

"What should I wear? I haven't been out to a club in awhile," Naruto said. He was too busy spending time with Sasuke to bother himself with the local party scene.

"I'll come over and help you pick out something."

"Fine."

Sakura clapped her hands together. "This is gonna be great."

Naruto, less convinced, warily nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

******

"Wow, you should get some more fun clothes," Sakura's voice was muffled as she searched through Naruto's closet. Naruto was poised on the bed, watching her rifle through his clothing options.

"I have tons of fun clothes," He defended his wardrobe, crossing his arms. "If you can't find something, I'll pick."

"No, no. I got this." Sakura continued to toss shirt after shirt out onto the floor, making noises to herself. "Oh my god. What's this?"

Naruto twisted his neck to get a better view. "Show me."

"Gladly." Sakura unfurled the article of clothing, holding it up. Naruto was horrified.

"I didn't know I even still had that. The last time I wore that was college." The shirt in question was a see-through mesh shirt. Just looking at it made Naruto groan.

"Put it back. I'm definitely not wearing _that_."

"Yes you are. All the guys will be drooling over you."

"It's cold out. I'm gonna be freezing."

"We won't have to wait outside for long."

"No. No way."

"I think we found a winner."

"Absolutely not."

And that's how Naruto ended up in pair of too tight jeans and the aforementioned shirt as he waited with his friends to get inside Club 81. Out of all of his friends, Kiba had the most averse reaction. He wouldn't let Naruto hear the end of it, insisting that he at least take twenty pictures to capture this moment.

Shikamaru didn't approve either, but mostly expressed his distaste through eye rolls and looks of disdain. Lee and Sakura were the most supportive. Lee liked to play with the holes in the shirt. Several times, Naruto had to swat his fingers away. He eventually gave up and let Lee mess around.

Being inside Club 81 was as he expected. It was hot (despite it being winter), loud, and reeked of cheap alcohol. Naruto felt a bit out of place. He tried to remain positive, telling himself that he just needed time to adjust. He hung by his friends at the bar.

"See anyone cute?" Sakura nudged Naruto with her glass. "I think I see someone over there."

"No." Naruto sighed. He wasn't paying much attention to anyone around him. He couldn't help but think how much more fun he would be having if he was there with a certain person instead.

"How about that guy over there?"

Naruto followed where Sakura stared. The guy had messy black hair and pouty lips. He wore a tight shirt that clung to his upper body. Around his neck were a series of silver chains. The most prominent one had a charm hanging at the end.

On paper, this was pretty much Naruto's type to a tee; dark-haired and brooding. However, with everything that happened with his own dark-haired and brooding boy, he couldn't feel good about talking to the stranger. The guilt and sadness would be too much.

Naruto shook his head. "I think maybe I should stop looking and drink." He downed the rest of his whiskey. Drinking seemed a lot better than scouting out random guys.

"Hey, no one said you couldn't do both." Sakura grinned. "We'll find you someone."

As if she was personally in contact with the universe, it wasn't long before Naruto was approached. He was on his second drink when there came a swift tap on his back. He turned around, confused.

"Could I buy you a drink?"

Naruto looked the man up and down. He wasn't someone Naruto would've expected to be at a club. He looked more suited for an societal uprising with his studded leather jacket and colored hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura give a thumbs up.

"Sure." He wasn't going to protest. His glass was almost empty anyways. He could use some more.

"You have a preference for a drink?"

Naruto shook his head. "Feel free to choose for me."

Once the guy was done ordering the drink, he turned to Naruto, giving him a better look. The stranger had a good number of piercings all over. Most of them were along his ears.

"Is it cliche if I ask what brings you here?"

"Nah. I think if anyone should be asking though, it's me." Naruto reached forward and poked one of the spikes on the jacket.

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean, look at you." Naruto laughed. "This isn't exactly club attire."

"You're right. I guess I'm not comfortable wearing a see-through shirt and tight jeans." Naruto caught a gleam in the stranger's eye.

"This was _not_ my idea. My friend thought I would look hot." Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Your friend was right." The man took a sip of his own drink. "Sorry, if I'm going to compliment you like that, I should introduce myself. I'm Aiden."

"Naruto." Naruto pointed to himself. "Nice to meet you."

The conversation progressed. A few drinks in and Naruto was beginning to enjoy himself. It was much easier to have fun while his brain was less focused on what was bothering him.

"So yeah. I never even wanted to come here. My friend thought it would be good for me," Naruto said, his words slurring together.

"Why didn't you wanna come?"

"Oh y'know." Naruto shrugged. "Reasons."

"You don't have to tell me. That's fine. In any case, I'm glad you decided to." Aiden smiled, which looked out of place for his tough exterior. "You're fun to talk to."

"You too."

"This might seem too forward, but would you like to hang out sometime? You seem really cool."

"Sure." Naruto was beyond the point of clear comprehension. "Could be fun." He glanced to where he thought his friends would be. He was shocked to see that none of them were there.

"Huh. That's weird."

"What is?"

"My friends. They must be dancing."

"We can dance if you want."

"Nah, that's okay. Tell me more about being a musician."

"Sure thing. Well-" Aiden proceeded to go into detail while Naruto listened, trying to focus as music blared throughout the club. The alcohol made it increasingly difficult. Naruto caught himself zoning out.

"What about you? What do you do?" Aiden asked.

"That's not even worthy of mentioning." Naruto waved his hands dismissively.

"I'm curious."

"It's boring, trust me," Naruto said, though Aiden didn't appear bored.

"Try me."

"I-" Naruto began to speak, but was interrupted by his phone.

 _That's strange. I thought I put my phone on silent_.

Naruto looked down and let out a gasp. There was no way he saw that properly. He must've been so drunk that he was misreading words.

_One new message from: Sasuke_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes Aiden is an OC who I just created and I love him. Also I need a drawn image of Naruto in that outfit like can you imagine? He would look great. I also picture him with some orange or yellow eyeshadow on and maybe some eyeliner. Club King!!


	42. Mysterious Night

Naruto rushed to open the text, his fingers moving at a dizzying speed. He couldn't believe it. Why would Sasuke text him? Last time he checked, the dancer wanted nothing to do with him.

(11:23 PM): Hey

One word. That's all it was and yet Naruto's heart pounded as if Sasuke sent him a love declaration.

"You good?" Aiden looked at Naruto, his eyebrows raised in concern.

"Yeah." Naruto kept the phone clutched to him like a lifeline. He fought his urge to reply right away. It wouldn't be smart. He would come off as desperate. Not to mention, he was drunk. With his luck, he would say something stupid.

"There's a little underground concert tonight that I was planning to go to. You're free to come with," Aiden said. "Though, I don't know if it'll be your typical hangout."

Naruto puffed out his chest. "I think I can handle a concert."

Aiden smirked. "We'll see about that."

"We will." Naruto shoved his phone deep into his pocket, forgetting about the text. He had to prove that he was cool enough to hang with Aiden. He wasn't just some boring guy that worked in an office.

"Did you drive here?"

"Nope. I carpooled with my friends," Naruto said.

"Perfect. We can take my car." Aiden slung his arm around Naruto and helped him to stand.

Naruto walked with Aiden out of the club and to the parking lot across the street. The air was somehow even colder than it was when he was waiting in line. He shivered all the way over to the car.

"Sorry in advance. I know my car isn't the best."

"That's okay. I don't mind."

The car was a faded blue with rust creeping in along the edges. If Naruto was sober, he likely would've noticed more than that. Unfortunately, he didn't have that privilege at the moment. Everything was through a drunk lens until the alcohol began to wear off which wouldn't be for awhile and even longer if he had more.

Aiden opened Naruto's door for him. "Guests first."

Naruto sat in the passenger seat. The floor of the car was strewn with wrappers and empty cans. Naruto pushed aside a can with his foot and strapped in. He wasn't intoxicated enough to forgot basic safety. That was a good sign.

Aiden joined Naruto, pulling the door closed behind him as he sat in the driver's seat. "It's not that far from here."

"What kind of concert is this?"

"You'll see soon." Aiden pulled out of the parking lot and onto the vacant road. The most activity came from blinking lights on signs of stores. Naruto occupied himself with staring at the various neon until his eyes stung.

The drive over was fairly quiet. There was talking here and there, but nothing extensive. Naruto watched the scenery shift to more grimy buildings with stained brick and graffiti. He had no idea where he was. He didn't usually find himself in this part of the city. Looking over at Aiden, he got the feeling the man was used to it by the way he confidently cruised the streets.

Passing a lamppost with its bulb burned out, Aiden turned the corner onto a gravelly road that was in desperate need of being redone. Naruto looked over to Aiden who met his gaze.

"You ready?"

Naruto nodded. "I am."

Aiden veered into an empty alley and parked the car. Naruto didn't have the best judgement (blame the alcohol), but he certainly wouldn't have picked there to park a vehicle. Aiden pulled the key from the ignition and slipped it into his pocket.

"You can back out now if you want before we get out of the car."

"No." Naruto remained firm in his conviction. "I'm not backing out."

"Impressive." Aiden got out of the car, kicking the door closed behind him. Naruto attempted a similar exit. His, however, was a lot less smooth. His foot went too high and his legs almost folded from underneath him. Luckily, Aiden was there to grab a hold of him.

"I think you should stick to closing doors normally," Aiden said, helping Naruto be steady for what felt like the hundredth time. "You gotta be careful. It's slippery."

"I didn't know punks like you cared about dangerous weather conditions," Naruto teased, a lopsided grin on his face. The heat from Aiden's hands felt good on his exposed arms.

"I'm more worried that you'll fall and break one or multiple of your bones. But we'll go with that." When Naruto was stable, Aiden took his grip off. Naruto's arms quickly fell to their cold ways once more.

"You hear that?" Aiden said, cupping his ear. Naruto shook his head.

"No."

"Listen closely."

Naruto strained his ears. He wasn't sure if it was a placebo effect from knowing there was something he needed to be listening for or if he actually focused long enough to pick up on it, but sure enough, there was what sounded like a guitar riff coming from the distance.

"I... think I hear it."

"That's where we're headed." Aiden turned to face the dark alley and began to walk further into it. The shadows swallowed him up. Naruto ran forward, not wanting to separate. Winter nights didn't play around. The longer he waited, the greater chance there was that he would become lost.

The walk over to the venue was filled with footsteps and labored breathing (mostly from Naruto). His buzz was starting to wane and all of the exercise was tiring. Aiden was unfazed. His head swung back and forth as he calculated where to go next. Naruto felt as if he was a puppy lagging behind its owner.

Naruto used this opportunity to get a look at the different buildings and parts of the city. Most of what was visible to the eye was cloaked in darkness. He saw a piece of graffiti here and there and the occasional rickety stairs. He imagined how differently it looked during the day as opposed to the mysterious night.

The music that Naruto was unsure of turned out to be more than a guitar. He also heard a rumbling voice and some drums.

"It's getting louder," He commented aloud. Aiden nodded.

"We're almost there."

"You've been saying that for like, twenty minutes now."

"More like ten. Your sense of time is off."

A few more minutes (to Naruto's best guess) and the two of them arrived at a set of stairs that led underground. Naruto looked hesitantly over at Aiden.

"You meant _literally_ underground."

"Literally and figuratively," Aiden said. "They're trying to find a better venue." He walked down the dark steps. Naruto stayed close behind him. The deeper down they went, the colder he was. His hate for the mesh shirt was reaching new heights he didn't even think were possible. In an effort to warm up, he rubbed his arms.

When they finished their trek down the stairs, Naruto was hit with a rush of overwhelming stimulation. He wasn't sure where to turn his attention to. The walls of the venue were covered with sloppily hung posters. Where there were no posters, there were plenty of markings in spray paint. Naruto attempted to decode a symbol of an eye surrounded in flames.

Naruto thought he made some progress when he was knocked down onto the dusty ground.

"Watch where you're standing," A man with gauges and more than a few tattoos sneered. He walked into the large crowd that was gathered in front of the stage.

Naruto stood back up and brushed himself off, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He hadn't noticed anyone there.

"Sorry about him. Some people here are such assholes." Aiden rolled his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Naruto wiped a trace of dirt from his jeans. "Except it's really cold down here."

"Here." Aiden slipped off his leather jacket and handed it to Naruto. Naruto took it, confused.

"You said you were cold," Aiden added. "I'm helping you fix that problem."

Naruto reluctantly wiggled his arms into the jacket. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Naruto looked towards the stage. The lead singer was yelling into a microphone, his mouth leaning in and his eyes closed. His raspy voice bounced off the walls. Next to him was a girl with short black hair and bright red lipstick. She was strumming a guitar, her combat boots pounding on the stage. In the back was a man hunched over a drum set. His long hair flew up around him as his drumsticks made contact with the top of the drum.

The song they played reminded Naruto of the music Sasuke put on when they drove in the car together. He smiled thinking about Sasuke in the crowd banging his head to the beat.

Sasuke.

Naruto still had the text from him to get back to. Maybe he could sneak his phone out in the dimly lit space and say something now that the alcohol was wearing off. Naruto reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He was about to enter his passcode when Aiden brushed his arm.

"You want anything to drink?"

"There's drinks here?" Naruto let his phone slide back into his pocket and whirled around.

"There are."

"Get me whatever you're having."

"On it." Aiden weaseled his way out of the crowd, leaving Naruto to fend for himself. He smiled at a man with a scar across his cheek who gave off a threatening aura and hoped that no one tried to start anything with him. He couldn't spot the guy from earlier, so he supposed he was in the clear.

"Next up, we're gonna play one of our new songs. It goes somethin' like this." The singer nodded his head at the guitarist who played an opening riff. Naruto bounced his head up and down. He didn't typically listen to punk music, but there was a first time for everything. He never pictured himself at some underground concert with a guy he met hours earlier and yet here he was.

"Here you go." Aiden returned with two cups in his hand. He handed one to Naruto, who was eager to see what was inside. Naruto lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip. He was surprised at how strong it was, making a face.

"Wow. This is no joke."

Aiden chuckled and drank some from his own cup. "The stronger the better."

Naruto soon realized that dancing and singing was incredibly difficult with a full cup. Every time he moved, the liquid sloshed and came dangerously close to the rim.

_Oh well. This gives me an excuse to drink it all quickly._

Naruto chugged the alcohol, closing his eyes until every last drop was gone. Aiden looked impressed, taking the empty cup from Naruto.

"You're not gonna forgive yourself tomorrow."

"That's a later problem. I'm here to have fun," Naruto said. Cup-free, he began to head bang violently, earning several curious glances in his direction. Aiden joined in, goofy smile on his face. For the next couple of songs, they moved in sync.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, stopping his thrashing to see what was happening around him. In front of the stage was a cleared out area where no one stood. Naruto didn't know much about these types of concerts, but it seemed strange.

"The mosh pit," Aiden said, observing. "You know what that is?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope."

Aiden took the next couple minutes to give Naruto a rundown on mosh pits. He did his best to listen, nodding and glancing from Aiden to the clearing.

"We should go in it."

"I wouldn't advise it for newcomers. It can get dangerous pretty quickly," Aiden replied. "I've gotten pretty banged up before."

"I can handle it." Naruto grinned. Whether or not the decision was influenced by the alcohol running through his veins or the need to break out of his boring bubble didn't matter. All Naruto knew was that he _had_ to try it out for himself.

Both of Aiden's eyebrows raised. "Yeah? You think so?"

"I don't think so. I know so."

"Alright. We'll go in. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Naruto moved through the crowd and to the outer edge of the empty space. Aiden ran up next to him, positioning himself so that his body was covering Naruto's. Naruto pushed him so that Aiden was directly next to him.

"I got this," Naruto said. "No need to try to protect me."

The guitarist made a screeching sound with her guitar and the band began to play another song. Before he knew it, Naruto and a group of concert goers were thrust into the empty space. It didn't take long for things to get out of control.

People were pushing and shoving each other, running into each other, and moving their bodies erratically to the music. Naruto did his best to keep to himself, but the chaos didn't stay away. He was being pushed from left to right. Naruto had to shove people back to keep them from encroaching on his space.

No one seemed to mind. Naruto learned that an unspoken mosh pit rule was that things got crazy and that was just the nature of it. Shoving and pushing was normal and looked at as good.

Naruto found it fun to let loose. When the mosh pit dissipated, Aiden dragged Naruto by his arm and lead him out of the crowd.

"That was..." Naruto struggled to find the right word.

"Intense? Weird? Stupid?"

Intense. I've never done anything like that before. I think I'm gonna have bruises by tomorrow."

"Would you do it again?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah. It was fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Time to get you home."

"We can stay longer," Naruto said. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"It's gonna be wrapping up shortly. Besides, you have work, right?"

Naruto groaned. "Don't remind me."

"You should get at least some rest," Aiden said. "C'mon, I'll drive you home."

Together, Naruto and Aiden left the concert; Aiden leading the way back to the car, and Naruto still on his adrenaline high.

"I can't wait to tell my friends about this. They won't believe it."

"If you need someone to back you up, I gotcha."

"Thank you. I probably will." Naruto laughed. "It's not often I do stuff like this."

"From what I've heard, you never do stuff like this."

"Yeah."

"I'm happy I could show you a good time." Aiden smiled. "If you want, we can do something like this again. If you're free, that is."

Naruto thumbed his phone through his jean pocket. He still hadn't forgotten about the Sasuke message. But in this moment, it wasn't about Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't the one who took him to a cool concert. Sasuke probably wouldn't even care if Naruto replied or not.

"I'll let you know when I'm free."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See Sasuke this is what happens when you push people away


	43. Spotted

Sasuke went to bed with no message back from Naruto. He was thoroughly disappointed. When he sent the text, he expected that Naruto would reply within minutes, an hour at the most. Neither estimate was the case. He watched as his phone remained notification-less.

The second his eyes were open the next morning, he grabbed his phone. He clicked it on and scrolled through everything he missed while he was in slumber. None of what he missed was from Naruto.

Sasuke inhaled sharply and let the phone fall onto his chest. He had really done it now. He had made it so Naruto wanted nothing to do with him.

_This is what I wanted. I wanted him to stay away._

That's what Sasuke told himself as he got ready for practice that morning to help cope with the ache in his chest. To be fair, they hadn't spoken in weeks. Sasuke's message was coming out of nowhere.

_I'm sure he moved on by now. That's why he said nothing._

As much as it hurt to think about, Sasuke couldn't help but let his mind drift there. The possibility that Naruto moved on and was seeing someone new wasn't that unlikely. Naruto was all around a great guy. It wouldn't take long for someone else to see that too.

His dreams about Naruto being with someone else had only increased. While he used to have them here and there, now it seemed like every night. They kept getting progressively worse. One of his more recent ones included Sasuke being invited to Naruto and some guy's wedding.

On the way to practice, Sasuke tried to clear his head with some calming music. He turned on his playlist that consisted of instrumental songs and drove to the studio. It helped a bit, but thoughts of Naruto still surfaced in his mind.

However he wasn't about to repeat the incident that happened a couple weeks ago. No matter how much it bothered him that Naruto hadn't responded, he needed to focus on dance. His first show was this week. It was getting down to the wire. There was no room for errors and a distracted mind.

******

Practice wrapped up later than normal, though that wasn't unusual around now. Whenever a show was coming up, practices tended to run late. The sun was beginning to set when they finished for the day.

"Great job today everyone. I feel like you're ready for Friday," Mr.Hatake said. "Keep working hard and I know we'll have a great performance."

Sasuke took a large sip from his water bottle, swallowing the rest of the liquid that was inside. He tucked the now empty bottle under his arm and walked over to his duffel bag.

"I beg to differ. I think you could've done better."

Sasuke shoved the water bottle deep into his bag and looked up. "Oh Ino, how I love your unsolicited opinions."

"I'm serious. I think in Act 2 scene 2, you need to-"

Sasuke held up his hand. "I know everything I need to work on. I don't need input from you. You're just trying to throw me off my game and it's not going to work."

Ino shrugged. "Suit yourself." She went over to Iliana and talked with her.

As far as encounters with Ino went, it was strange. She normally wouldn't have given up that easily. She _lived_ to antagonize Sasuke. Sasuke wrote it off as her having a hard day and not liking her criticism from Mr.Hatake and went into his bag to check his phone. He sighed.

Nothing. No messages.

Sasuke clicked onto his conversation with Naruto, theorizing that maybe he forgot to hit send. His sigh deepened when he saw his one word greeting there with no response meeting it.

He put his phone back in his bag and prepared to head home. With practice done for the day, all he wanted to do was unwind and let his mind relax. Sasuke walked out of the studio, his sneakers padding against the ground.

"Damn it," Sasuke said aloud, gripping the steering wheel. His usual way of going back to the apartment was blocked off. He couldn't tell the cause for sure, but it appeared to be some sort of accident from what he could see as he squinted ahead.

"Guess I'll have to drive through the city." Sasuke turned up his radio and drove away from the 'accident'. His apartment was located near the outskirts of the city, but Sasuke didn't like to drive through it to get there. There was always a lot of traffic and chaos from every corner. He preferred to take back roads, despite it taking longer.

The city tonight was no exception. Though it was approaching the time when the sky changed over from pale blue to a rich indigo, there was plenty going on; honking horns, pedestrians running across the street, the sound of thumping music. Even with his windows rolled up, Sasuke could hear it all. He was stopped at a light when he saw it; a flash of golden yellow.

Sasuke's eyes locked onto it right away and traveled down the rest of the person. He couldn't see every last detail with the darkening sky, but with distinct whisker markings, blonde hair, and a buff frame under clothes, he had a pretty clear idea of who he was looking at.

However... what he didn't know was who the blue-haired individual with the statement jacket was. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The stranger's hands kept swinging near Naruto, their fingers coming dangerously close to touching.

The light turned green. Sasuke bit his tongue and pressed down on the gas pedal. Fuck going home. This was more important.

Sasuke followed closely behind the pair, keeping his distance. He was aware that if Naruto saw his car creeping up, he'd be weirded out. It was a risk he had to take. Naruto wasn't responding to him and here he was in the flesh. Sasuke couldn't lose this chance that had been awarded to him.

As he slowly drove, he wondered where they were headed. It was unlike Naruto to be wandering the city at this time of night. Didn't he have work?

Sasuke was tempted to open the windows of the car and see if he could hear what they were saying. His finger wavered over the button, but ultimately didn't press down. The window would make noise, possibly alerting Naruto to his presence.

Naruto and the stranger eventually walked into a building. Sasuke found somewhere nearby to park and got out of his car. He made sure it was secured and locked before leaving. The city was notorious for car break-ins.

At close glance, the building wasn't very well-maintained with it's crumbling brick and cracked windows. Coming from inside was loud music that Sasuke expected from a gathering like this. People were filtering in, talking among themselves.

The stairs creaked as Sasuke walked up them. He was a couple of feet away and already he was hit with the scent of cheap beer. Crinkling his nose, he braced for the smell to worsen and went inside.

His predictions were correct. The smell was so bad that Sasuke couldn't help but wince. He supposed there would be no fine wine at whatever this establishment was. Ignoring the smell the best he could, Sasuke looked around for why he even came in the first place.

No sightings of him so far. Sasuke leaned against a wall, positioning himself so he could see at all angles. If Naruto was in the room, he would see him. Sasuke tapped his foot along the floor and began to wait.

And wait he did. Sasuke was getting incredibly bored. He spent his time watching drunks stumble around and spill their drinks. He saw people making out messily on the long couch in front of him. He was tempted to shout 'get a room', but didn't want to get kicked out. So he endured it. The only thing that got him through the experience was the thought of running into Naruto. Naruto was worth seeing intoxicated horny people.

"Hey."

Sasuke looked up. A girl with brown hair and fishnets stood near him, sticking out her hip. She drank from a plastic cup and held it out.

"Want some, cutie?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." The girl moved closer. "You've been standing in the same place all night talking to no one."

"And?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't think anyone here is really up for talking." He motioned to a girl and a guy who were making out near the winding set of stairs.

"I'd like to talk to you. I'm Laura. You?"

"Sasuke."

"That's a cool name."

"Thanks."

"I can get you your own drink if you want," Laura offered.

"I'm fine. To be honest, cheap beer isn't my thing."

Laura laughed, covering her mouth with her free hand. "No wonder you look so out of place."

"I don't party. I don't have time for that, or really the desire," Sasuke said, crossing his arms.

"No time to party? Everyone has time for partying."

"Not me."

"Why're you so busy?"

"No reason." Now Sasuke wished he had some of the gross alcohol so he could get away with not answering. He didn't come here to reveal his life to some girl with curious eyes and questionable intentions.

"There has to be a reason."

"Maybe."

"You're mysterious. I like that," Laura said, leaning in. Sasuke smelled the beer on her breath.

"Not trying to be."

"It's like, you're too cool to be here."

 _I didn't think there was anything worse than being analyzed. I found something even worse: drunk analysis_ , Sasuke thought as he dug his heel into the ground.

"I'll be here all night if you change your mind and want to talk some more." Laura ran her hand up and down Sasuke's arm, winked, and walked into another room. Sasuke was more than relieved to be alone. It wasn't long before he was disturbed again.

"Sasuke? Is that you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the visual of Sasuke standing alone at the party judgmentally staring at people


	44. Be Right Back

Sasuke looked up, meeting the gaze of who spoke to him. He was looking into a pair of crystal blue eyes.

"Oh, hey Naruto," Sasuke said, swallowing hard. He hadn't expected Naruto to catch him off guard like that. He wanted to be the one who found Naruto. Not vice versa. Though, he couldn't do anything about it now. Naruto got to him first.

"Weird seeing you here," Naruto said.

Sasuke looked him up and down. He was in a cool bomber jacket, jeans, and tight t-shirt that showed off his muscular arms. Sasuke had seen him while he was driving, but Naruto was even more handsome up close. Sasuke couldn't keep his eyes off of him. It didn't help that it had been awhile since they last saw each other.

"Same to you."

"How did you find out about the party?"

"Uh," Sasuke stammered. He couldn't say the real reason. "I heard about it from someone at practice."

"Oh. That's cool."

Sasuke let out a quiet sigh of relief. He saved himself from the humiliating truth. "What are you doing here?" It was Naruto's turn to be questioned.

"I was invited."

_Probably by the guy he was walking with._

Sasuke looked around the room. He didn't see him anywhere.

"I didn't know you went out partying."

"I could say the same to you." Naruto smirked. "You don't strike me as a partier."

"I'm not." Sasuke saw no reason to put on a facade. Not with Naruto, who was one of the only people who knew him. "I think partying only has appeal if you're drunk. Being sober and watching everyone is painful."

Naruto laughed and drank from his cup. "Hey, I'm not so bad drunk."

"Yeah you are."

"No!"

"Yes. I've seen you when you've had too much."

"Yeah? What am I like then?"

"You're always really loud and energetic. You're the guy that does stupid stuff because you have a crowd cheering you on."

"Damn." Naruto whistled. "I forgot you've seen me super wasted before."

"More than once," Sasuke said. "A handful of times."

"Speaking of drinking, do you want anything?"

"I would, but it seems like everything here is gross."

"Let me mix something for you. I promise, it won't be bad."

Sasuke considered the offer. "Fine." He trusted Naruto enough that if the blonde said he would make him something worthy, he was sure he would try his best.

"Be right back."

Sasuke watched Naruto's back as he walked away. A smile crossed from one side of his mouth to the other. He and Naruto had a conversation; a good one. There was no tension, no pressure to say anything. Just as comfortable as they were during their favorable days.

Sasuke's bliss didn't last for long. He waited eagerly for Naruto to come back to him when he was approached by the last person he wanted to talk to.

"You know Naruto?" The guy ran a hand through his blue hair, looking Sasuke dead in the eyes as if he meant to be intimidating. Sasuke scoffed. Some dude with hair the color of blueberries couldn't make him feel threatened.

"Yeah, I do." Sasuke made a point to stare into his eyes. "Do you?"

"I do."

"Guess we have something in common." Sasuke put on a smile. He knew all about appearing nice while making sure the other person knew exactly how he felt thanks to Ino.

"I hope you like it. I made sure-" Naruto returned, each of his hands with a cup. He looked back and forth from the stranger to Sasuke.

"Well, this is weird," Naruto said. He handed the drink to Sasuke and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aiden, meet Sasuke. Sasuke, meet Aiden."

So this was the name of the stranger: Aiden, who looked like he came out of a punk catalog (complete with obnoxious dyed hair). Sasuke held back a snort. Being the bigger person, he extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you, Aiden."

Aiden shook Sasuke's hand. "Mhm."

Sasuke could tell he was getting under Aiden's skin. He kept his smile. "How do you know Naruto?"

"We met at a club," Aiden said.

"A club... interesting."

 _More like the most boring place ever_ , Sasuke snarkily said in his head.

"Hey Aiden, can I talk with Sasuke for a bit? We haven't had a chance to talk that much." Naruto looked over at Aiden who rolled his eyes.

"Sure." He turned around and walked off, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone. Sasuke's fake smile was replaced with a real one. He raised the cup Naruto gave to him and drank.

"Wow. Somehow, you made this tolerable."

Naruto grinned. "I told you I would." He drank from his own cup. "I know my alcohol."

Sasuke's smile widened and he took another sip. "Aiden seems nice." As much as he didn't like the punk, he had to be cordial. Upsetting Naruto was not on the list of things he wanted to accomplish tonight. He didn't know the extent of their relationship or lack thereof.

"Yeah. He's the reason I'm here."

"Oh?" Sasuke's ears perked up. "How long have you known each other?"

"Not that long," Naruto answered. "We met last night. He took me to this crazy concert."

"What kinda concert?" Sasuke was intrigued.

"Some underground punk thing. You would've liked it."

"Why do you say that?"

"You listen to similar music in the car," Naruto said. "I even went into a mosh pit."

Sasuke almost spit out his drink. "You? In a mosh pit? You're messing with me."

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I really did."

Sasuke tried to imagine Naruto banging his head and getting physical with other people at the concert, but he couldn't get a picture in his mind.

"Look. I got a bruise." Naruto rolled up his jacket sleeve and showed Sasuke his arm. Sure enough, there was a bruise.

"You could've given that to yourself to make it look like you got hurt," Sasuke said skeptically.

"I wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, I don't think you would either." Sasuke played around with the rim of his cup. "I meant to ask you, did you get my message?"

Their conversation froze for a brief moment. Naruto's focused eyes shifted around before coming back to Sasuke. Sasuke watched him closely, picking up on his hesitance.

"Yeah."

_Ow._

Sasuke felt that one in his chest. He inhaled deep and nodded, taking it in.

"Right. Okay. I suppose I deserved that."

"Why did you message me anyways? I thought you never wanted to see me again."

Sasuke bit his lip. There Naruto was, being blunt as usual. While it made him uncomfortable, he knew he needed it. Otherwise, he wouldn't ever say what should be said.

"That's not true. I..." Sasuke trailed off, looking away. "I think we should sit down and have a talk. It's hard to hear over the music."

"I got an idea," Naruto said. "Come with me." He took off towards the stairs.

Sasuke jogged after him, climbing the narrow stairs. As he made his way up, he glanced over the rail. All the partiers looked like small ants below. Naruto raced down the long hallway, paintings lining the walls. Sasuke glanced at a few as he passed them.

Naruto ducked into a room. Sasuke chased after him, out of breath when he reached Naruto.

"Hah, I fi-" Sasuke looked ahead and clamped a hand over his mouth. In the center of the room was a large bed that a couple was rolling around on. Sasuke looked to Naruto. Naruto looked similar to how he felt; mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

The couple stopped their rolling, looking over to the two men.

"We wanted a quiet place to talk, sorry," Naruto apologized. "We didn't mean to bother you."

The girl fixed her hair and shrugged. "We'll find somewhere else." She grabbed the boy's hand next to her who had red lipstick smudged all over his mouth and pulled him up from the bed. Together, they walked out of the room.

The second they were gone, Naruto and Sasuke burst into laughter.

"I don't either of us were expecting that," Naruto said.

"No. No we weren't. I don't know if I should sit on the bed."

"They had their clothes on. I think it's fine." Naruto shut the door and sat down first.

Sasuke sat near him, wary of the wrinkled covers. "It still feels gross."

"I'll give you that. What did you want to talk to me about?"

_Back to bluntness._

Sasuke sighed. "I owe you an explanation."

"For what?" Naruto turned his head towards Sasuke, his brows furrowed.

"For... well. Everything." Sasuke let out a strained laugh. "I hurt you and I'm sorry."

"More than hurt."

"And that was wrong of me," Sasuke said. "I've pushed you away... a lot. I hate to admit it, but it's true. I guess I wanted to offer some explanations. I know it doesn't fix what I've done, but you deserve to know. Unless, you don't want to hear it. You aren't obligated to hear me out."

Naruto let out a low hum. "I'll listen."

Sasuke was half nervous and half relieved. He was glad that Naruto decided to hear what he had to say but with that came a large bout of worry. To say this was going to be difficult to talk about wasn't doing his apprehension justice.

"I want to make sure you know that the way I've acted has nothing to do with you. You're a great guy."

"This sounds like the start of a break up speech," Naruto said, teasing tone to his voice. "Well, that kinda already happened. But you know what I mean."

"It's not a consolation. I mean it. You're by far the best person I've ever dated. You're really thoughtful and nice."

"You think so?"

"I do. That's why this hurt me as much as it did. I know you probably hurt more, but it still really got to me," Sasuke said, shamefully looking away. "I've done this with pretty much every single person that's been interested in me."

"Why?"

"Why," Sasuke repeated the question word. "I... don't think I should get into that right now."

"You can tell me."

"Not here. We're both a little drunk. I'll talk about it some other time. Maybe."

"Hm. Okay. Keep going then." Naruto leaned back on the bed, resting against the pillows.

"Like I said, this is a pattern for me. I get close to people and end up pushing them away before they can learn about me."

"Don't you ever get tired of doing that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, don't you ever get tired of pushing people away? It must be lonely." Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes with a gaze of sympathy. Sasuke wasn't sure how to take it. Here he was talking about his less than perfect behavior and Naruto was being understanding and trying to figure out _why_.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"So why do it?"

"It's natural to me. Pushing people away is my instinct."

"Does that make you happy? To push people away?"

"Being close to people scares me."

"Why?"

"Because," Sasuke paused. "I know that they can be taken from me at any time. It's better to push people away than get attached and lose them."

Naruto reached out and grabbed Sasuke's hand, holding it comfortingly. "That's no way to live. If you follow that, you'll constantly live in fear."

He had a point. Sasuke's current way of living was very much fear-based, at least when it came to relationships.

"You're right."

Naruto rubbed his thumb softly on Sasuke's hand. "I don't want you to be in fear all the time. Even if you don't want to be with me, I don't want you to be scared to form connections with people."

"I think I'm going to be like this forever."

"No. You don't have to. You can choose to go against what is easy for you. When your brain tells you to push people away, don't listen. It's going to feel uncomfortable, but I believe you can do it." Naruto smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Sasuke. How long have you been working towards a lead role?"

"Awhile."

"If you can do that, you can do anything you want."

Sasuke smiled for what must've been the second or third time since he and Naruto started talking. Naruto's words of encouragement meant more than he could ever relay.

"Thanks for hearing me out. I'm sorry again. I didn't want you to get caught up in this."

"I'm glad you told me," Naruto said. "I much prefer this to knowing nothing. I think-"

"Naruto! There you are."

Sasuke retracted his hand from Naruto's and looked over to the door frame. Standing in the middle of the open space was none other than Sasuke's favorite blue-haired punk.

"I was looking all over for you," Aiden said. "I wanted to show you something."

"Sounds good." Naruto leaned over and whispered in Sasuke's ear, his lips brushing the skin.

"We can talk more tomorrow." He stood up, following after Aiden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our boys are talking again, how glorious! I was getting real sad with all my angst haha. It feels good to post a new chapter because it's been a little while.


	45. Right Direction

Naruto's good mood the next day could be attributed to his conversation with a certain dark-haired boy. His discussion with Sasuke at the party brought him a great sense of ease. Things with Sasuke were rocky for a decent length of time and for there to be a moment where the two of them could candidly talk in a low pressure setting was more than needed.

Work was easy to get through knowing that him and Sasuke were going to be meeting up at Naruto's house afterwards. He whistled lowly as he went through various tasks prescribed to him. On his way to the copier, he ran in Choji.

"You seem happy this morning," He remarked. Naruto nodded.

"It's a good morning."

Choji smiled. "Any particular reason for that?"

"Stuff is going well."

"What kinda stuff?"

"With the guy I like," Naruto said. "For a bit, things were rough. But I have hope after yesterday. We had a good conversation."

"That's awesome." Choji clapped him on the back. "Good luck to you both." He took the papers that the copier spit out and walked to his desk.

When the clock struck 5, Naruto rushed to pack up. The sooner he could get out of the office, the greater the chance he could avoid traffic. He waved a final goodbye to Choji and his other coworkers and took the elevator downstairs.

Naruto stopped at the grocery store near his house to pick up a few things before Sasuke came over. Their plans for tonight were vague. Naruto wasn't sure if he was supposed to make dinner. Better to be safe than sorry.

After checking out at the store, he sent a text to Sasuke saying that he could come over. He knew the distance from Sasuke's apartment to his house and even if he left exactly at that second, Naruto would still beat him there. Naruto left, bags wrapped around his arms. He set them in the back seat of his car and climbed into the driver's seat.

As anticipated, Naruto arrived back home to an empty driveway. He parked the car and carried the shopping bags inside. Once he put everything he bought away, he turned to straightening up the house to make it presentable. The sharp ring of the doorbell sounded as Naruto was fixing a pillow.

"Hey." Naruto opened the door. Standing on his porch was Sasuke, looking great as always. He was in a black sweater and equally black jeans. Instead of wearing furred winter shoes, he had on heavy combat boots. Naruto was so busy looking him up and down that he forgot to invite him inside.

"Come on in." Naruto held the door open and stepped back, smiling. For a second, he forgot about everything that had transpired. It felt like just another date.

Sasuke walked inside and took off his shoes. He glanced around.

"Sorry if it's messy. I was trying to clean before you got here."

"It's okay," Sasuke said. "Your messy is my clean."

"Would you like anything to drink? I stopped by the store and picked up your favorite wine."

"You didn't need to do that. I'm the one that should be bringing your favorite wine."

"I wanted to. I didn't know if you were okay with having dinner with me or..."

"Dinner sounds nice. We can talk while we eat."

"That works for me. I'll get started on the food." Naruto walked into the kitchen. Sasuke followed behind him. While Naruto prepared to cook, Sasuke took a seat at the counter.

"How was the rest of the party?" He asked, resting his elbows on the marble surface.

"It was okay. I drank some more and hung out with Aiden."

"Ah. Aiden."

"He didn't give you any trouble, did he?" Naruto stopped pouring water in the pot and looked over to Sasuke. Sasuke shook his head.

"I mean, I don't think he likes me very much, but he wasn't mean."

"Good, good."

"You know, I was surprised when you came up to me," Sasuke said. "You didn't seem angry."

"I wasn't."

"Why? You have every reason to hate me."

Naruto poured the long strands of pasta into the pot. "I guess. I don't know, I'm not a hateful person."

"Still. I would've hated me if I were you."

"I've known you for awhile now. We've spent a lot of time together."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"You didn't let me finish." Naruto chuckled. "With how much time we've spent together, I've learned how you are. I knew about your tendencies to push people away early on. Though I was deeply hurt when you told me everything you did that night, I understood why."

Sasuke's gaze that Naruto had seen locked on him out of the corner of his eye dropped. "You're too understanding. I told you that all of this meant nothing to me."

Hearing it again even now that they were talking in a normal manner brought a sense of pain. Those words had haunted Naruto long after they had been said. To hear it again re-opened the wound he desperately tried to let heal.

"I... know you did. Did you mean that?"

"I thought we were saving the talking for dinner," Sasuke pointed out, still looking away.

"We already started." Naruto, not paying attention to the stove, accidentally let his hand come too close. He let out a pained yell, ripping his hand away.

"What happened?!" Sasuke jumped up from the stool and rushed over to Naruto.

"I burned my hand. It's okay. I'm fine."

"That's not fine." Sasuke dragged Naruto over to the sink and turned on the faucet. "Keep your hand under here while I go find a band-aid."

Naruto winced as the cold water poured over the burn. Sasuke disappeared, leaving Naruto to keep his hand in place.

"I think you need to update your medical cabinet," Sasuke said, returning with a single band-aid and tube of ointment. "I swear some of that stuff in there is definitely expired."

"You're probably right. Can I take my hand out from the water now, Doctor Uchiha?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

Naruto turned the faucet off with his unscathed hand and held out the one with the burn for Sasuke to attend to. Sasuke wiped the remaining water droplets from Naruto's skin and gently applied the ointment.

"It's going to sting for a little."

As Sasuke said, the burn hurt. Naruto let out a hiss of pain. Sasuke placed the band-aid over the now covered burn. Naruto inspected his hand.

"See, you could totally be a doctor."

"Still on that doctor thing, huh?"

"Don't rule it out."

Sasuke rolled his eyes again and walked back to where he previously sat. "Do you want me to finish cooking?"

"Nah. I got it." Naruto went back to making dinner, being more mindful of the stove this time around.

"That smells really good," Sasuke commented as Naruto was putting the finishing touches on the food.

"I'm glad you think so." Naruto garnished the top of the plates with basil leaves. "Where do you want to eat?"

"Here is fine."

Naruto brought over two plates. He set one in front of Sasuke and the other in front of the empty seat.

"Wine?"

"Not too much, I have to drive home."

"You got it." Naruto poured the dark red into a glass and slid it over to Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed the glass by the stem

"Be careful. That could've fell onto the ground and broke."

"I knew you'd catch it." Naruto poured some of the wine for himself. He took the glass over to his seat and sat down. "Tell me how it is."

Sasuke took his fork and twirled the spaghetti around the metal prongs, winding it tightly so the loose pasta didn't slip. He took a bite.

"It's good."

"Try one of the meatballs," Naruto encouraged, rolling one of his in sauce and biting into it. Sasuke did the same.

"Also good. I think your cooking skills are improving."

Naruto relished the praise and ate more from his plate. "So going back to what we were talking about before I stupidly burned my han-"

"What were we talking about? I can't remember," Sasuke said. Naruto was unconvinced.

"I'll remind you. We were talking about what you said that night."

"Riiiight. Right." Sasuke poked one of his meatballs with his fork. "That."

"Did you mean what you said? You know, about this all meaning nothing to you?"

Sasuke sighed. "Of course I didn't mean that. I care about you more than I like to admit."

Naruto couldn't help but smile. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. Sasuke didn't mean the thing he was agonizing over for days, no, _weeks_.

"Why did you say it then?"

Sasuke bit his lip. "I don't know... Actually, wait. I might know."

"Tell me."

"I thought if you hated me, it would be easier for you to get over me."

Naruto listened, taking in Sasuke's reasoning. So _that's_ why Sasuke said those hurtful things. Things that he pondered over late at night when he couldn't sleep were slowly clicking into place.

"It didn't work though. I don't hate you."

"That's insane to me. I tried hard to make you not like me anymore."

"I'll always like you, Sasuke," Naruto said, a smile forming on his lips. "Maybe in the past that worked, but not with me. I told you that."

"I don't deserve you. You shouldn't have even had me over. You should've moved on with Aiden and forgot about me." Sasuke sipped on his wine, the red staining his lips.

"You think I could just move on from you like that?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno. Most people find it easy I think."

"I'm not like other people. I couldn't forget you, ever."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment before responding. "Maybe you should date Aiden. He seems to really like you."

"I don't want to date Aiden. He's nothing like you." Naruto looked into Sasuke's dark eyes. "No one is like you. You're special."

Sasuke blushed, a light pink bringing color to his face. "Thank you."

"Finish your pasta before it gets cold."

"I thought you wanted to talk."

"We always have after dinner."

"Touché."

By the time all that remained of their plates was smeared sauce, the last bit of sun from the sky was gone. Darkness came in from the windows. Naruto walked over and closed the blinds.

"Why don't we go sit down on the couch? These chairs aren't that comfortable."

"Sure." Sasuke stood up from the chair and walked towards the couch. Naruto brought both his and Sasuke's glasses over with him.

"I should get going soon. I have practice tomorrow," Sasuke said, taking the glass.

"I understand." Naruto sat down. "How's that going?"

"Our first show of Don Quixote is soon. It's been stressful at the studio."

"I gotta come and see!" Naruto exclaimed. "This is so exciting. You're gonna do great."

"I hope so," Sasuke said, a hint of nervousness in his tone. "It's a big role."

"The lead."

"Yes, the lead. I hope I can do it justice."

"You will. You always do. I'll be silently cheering you on from the audience," Naruto said. "Though, don't try and look for me. You'll get distracted."

"Of course." Sasuke checked his phone. "Damn. It's late. I should get going."

"It was nice to talk to you tonight," Naruto said. "We should do it again sometime."

"We should." Sasuke rose from his sitting position.

"I'll walk you out."

Together, they left the warm house and entered into the cold night. Naruto walked alongside Sasuke, making sure he didn't slip on any of the ice patches on the driveway. He helped Sasuke get into his car carefully. Sasuke rolled down the window once he was inside.

"Thank you again for dinner and for hearing me out. You're a great guy, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto was stunned. Sasuke never said his full name before. Now that he was hearing it... he noted that it sounded great rolling off of his tongue. Naruto saw his reflection in the car grinning like a lovestruck idiot.

"You too, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke backed out of the driveway and drove down the street, his car fading into the thick of the night. Naruto stood there smiling long after Sasuke was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke taking care of Naruto's injury is adorable. I'm so happy they're back on speaking terms. I really missed writing their interactions.


	46. Arlea’s Tea & Treats

Sasuke arrived at the studio with ten minutes to spare. That day, preparations for Don Quixote were at an all time high. Practice was divided between running through the show and the practical matters for the performance. Once they made it to the end of Act 3 for the third time, Mr.Hatake cleared his throat and grabbed his clipboard.

"We're going to get you fitted for your costumes."

Sasuke didn't like costume fittings. He always ended up getting poked with a pin or wrapped too tight with a tape measure. Not to mention it was very invasive and he didn't like his body being examined and prodded.

Begrudgingly, Sasuke followed after the rest of the class as they were ushered out of the studio and across the hall to Studio 2. Inside were a group of tailors, tape measures dangling from their hands. Sasuke shuddered at the sight.

"You’ll all take turns until we get through everyone." Mr.Hatake looked at the sheet on his clipboard and directed dancers away to different tailors.

"Sasuke, you go with Molly."

Sasuke looked through the group, no idea of who was who. "Who's Molly?"

"Oh, right. Molly?"

A plump woman with black hair raised her hand. Sasuke walked over to her, nearly stepping on the shoes of the other tailors.

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke. I’m Molly."

"So I’ve heard." Sasuke shuffled in place. "We should move somewhere with more space. It’s getting crowded."

"Sure. Come with me." Molly led him away from the packed area and over to the side of the studio where no one stood. She grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders.

"You've probably have had a lot of these done before."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah." He felt the cool tape measure slide around his neck.

"How long have you been dancing for?" She scribbled something down and moved the tape measure to Sasuke's chest, letting it unfurl more.

 _It's my luck to get stuck with the chatty one_ , Sasuke remarked in his head, biting his tongue from making a snide comment. He straightened his posture.

"Awhile."

The tape measure encircled Sasuke's waist. "Awhile? You must be good."

Sasuke shrugged. "You'd have to see a show yourself to decide."

"Maybe I'll come see this one. Don Quixote, right?"

"Yep."

"I don't know anything about it." Molly measured along Sasuke's arm. "I'll go get your costume so we can see how well it fits you. I have a feeling it'll need to be taken in. You're so skinny."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. What he would give for strangers to stop saying unsolicited opinions on his size. Molly walked away to retrieve the costume. Sasuke waited patiently, glad to have some alone time. It was short lived. Molly came back rather quickly.

"What you're wearing right now is pretty minimal. You can just slip this on over what you have on." Molly handed Sasuke a pair of brown striped pants. "These first."

Sasuke took the pants and wiggled into them. They were baggy. Molly nodded and pinched them so they were tighter.

"These need some altering as I suspected." Molly set the shirt in his arms. "This is supposed to be a little oversized so it's okay if it doesn't fit exactly."

Sasuke put the shirt on over his head and brushed out the wrinkles. "I think you need to iron it."

"Of course." Molly used her tape measure and wrapped it around Sasuke's wrists. "The sleeves need to be a bit shorter."

"Will this all be ready in time for our debut performance?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms which looked even more ridiculous than usual in the puffy sleeves.

"We've never missed our deadline before and we don't plan on it now."

"Good." Sasuke stayed still as Molly fitted armor around his torso. He held back a groan as it constricted his chest.

"I think the armor needs to be looser."

"How's this?" Molly took it off and fiddled around with the various parts. When she put it back on Sasuke, he was able to breathe easier.

"Better."

"You have other accessories like a headpiece, sword, and boots, but we don't need to fit for that," Molly said. "Look in the mirror."

There wasn't an absence of reflective surfaces. Like their usual studio, this one also had a wall entirely of mirror. Sasuke glanced up and over at the mirror. He looked himself up and down.

"I look silly."

"You look like a handsome knight," Molly reassured. "You'll look even better when we get the costume altered."

Sasuke didn't bother arguing. It was one of the less offensive outfits he had to wear. He would've chosen the neutral colors of Don rather than the pastel blues of Benno any day.

Molly wrote down a few more things and then smiled at Sasuke. "Okay, we're done. You're free to go."

Sasuke took off the costume. He handed the garments back to Molly and walked over to Mr.Hatake. "Hey. I finished getting fitted. Am I free to go?"

Mr.Hatake shook his head. "We're gonna go back to practicing soon."

"Right." Sasuke should've known. He wouldn't be leaving for awhile, not with the show looming so close ahead. "How many more people need to go?"

"About fifteen. Get comfortable." Mr.Hatake patted Sasuke's back and went to attend to a distressed dancer who was uncomfortable in her costume. Sasuke was left to his own devices, which he was fine with.

"Finish your fitting already?" Sasuke, not being aware of who was around him, looked up abruptly at the callous voice. Ino was dressed in a yellowy-orange costume with a full tutu.

"Yeah."

"Let's see your outfit, Don. I bet it looks great." What she was saying appeared to be sweet, but that over-saturated sarcastic tone made it impossible for Sasuke to believe any of it was genuine. Why would it be? Ino was preying on his downfall. She probably crossed her fingers this morning in hopes that Sasuke's costume got ruined on the way over.

"Thanks. You look like a fruit."

"Fruit is delicious. Thanks for the compliment."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're welcome."

"I can't believe our first show is soon. We've been working on it for so long... Ouch, not there," Ino hissed through clenched teeth at her tailor. A smile broke out on Sasuke's face. He made it go away before Ino looked back at him.

"Anyways, I'm excited to see how you do as Don. If only the role was a female part. I would've gotten it for sure." She held her pointy chin up towards the ceiling.

"Riiiight. I bet," Sasuke said, his voice a steady monotone. "That's why you're not even the major female lead."

"Psh." Ino waved the notion away with her hand. "Mr.Hatake didn't want to give it to me because it would seem like favoritism. Have to give some of the other people a chance. I suppose that's why you got the part you did."

"I think it's because I'm talented, but we'll go with that."

Ino touched the edge of her tutu and scoffed. "Whatever you say."

"If you've finished with getting fitted for your costume, go back to Studio 4," Mr.Hatake called out from across the room.

"Good luck with the rest of your fitting," Sasuke said, glad to be walking away from Ino. He left the full studio and headed over to Studio 4. To get back into the dance mindset, Sasuke ran through some stretches. As he did so, he heard his phone go off from across the room. He moved out of the position he was in and walked over to see what it was.

(3:05 PM): _Hope dance is going well :)_

Sasuke smiled and ran his finger along the side of his phone. A text from Naruto. He didn't know what he did to deserve the blonde's kindness, but he was more appreciative than ever. He typed a response back.

(3:07 PM): It is. Thanks for the good wishes.

Putting his phone back in his bag, Sasuke returned to his stretching. Naruto remained on his mind until the class came back and practice resumed.

*****

"I expect all of you to be here bright and early tomorrow. We're really getting down to the wire," Mr.Hatake said, turning the music that echoed throughout the studio off. He ran a hand through his silver hair and gazed around at all of the dancers, making eye contact with Sasuke. Sasuke straightened up and nodded.

On his way out of the studio, Sasuke was putting in his earbuds as someone touched his arm. He sighed, taking the earbuds out, and looked to who the offender was.

"H-Hi Sasuke," Hinata said in her meek voice. Sasuke mustered up a wave.

"Hey Hinata."

"I was j-just wondering if..." Her voice became so quiet that Sasuke could no longer hear her. All he saw were the outlines of the words on her lips.

"What was that? I didn't catch that last part."

"Oh... Sorry." Hinata rubbed her arm and looked down. "I said that I was just wondering if you would like to go out to lunch with me..."

"It's 3 PM. That's a pretty late lunch."

"We could go out and do something else if you want." Hinata's pale eyes filled with what looked like hope. Sasuke thought about it for a moment. He could deny her and go home (like he planned on) or he could be kind and agree to go out with her.

Sasuke from months ago would've easily taken the second option with no remorse. Sasuke now, however, decided to actually consider the first. It was only lunch. Besides, he didn't have other plans anyways and his stomach kept growling.

"Sure, I guess," Sasuke said. "We can go somewhere."

"Really?! Oh, t-that's great!" Hinata beamed. "I know this cool place in the city." Hinata pulled at the door. The door remained shut and she frowned. After a couple more attempts, she finally managed to get it open with her frail arms. "Sorry about that."

Sasuke walked through the door frame. "It's fine. Where are we gonna go?"

"You'll see."

"I need to know how to get there," Sasuke said. "We're driving separate I assume."

"Right. You can j-just follow me." Hinata hung behind Sasuke as they walked out of the building. "It's not very far."

In the parking lot, they went to their respective cars. Sasuke learned that Hinata drove a silver car with dents in the side. The deformities made it easy for Sasuke to track. He followed her the entire way there, concluding their trip with him parked behind her. He glanced along the street. Not much was there except for a run down clothing store.

Sasuke got out of his car and met up with Hinata in front of the store.

"I'm guessing this isn't the place."

"We have to walk there... Is that f-fine?"

"Well, I don't see any other way we'll get there."

The walk over to the mystery location was a cold one. Sasuke wished he had put on a heavier coat when leaving the apartment this morning. The air seemed to have grown colder as the day went on, making Sasuke shiver while an icy wind blew throughout the city. He looked over to Hinata. She was wearing a heavy sweater.

"I hope it's not too much farther."

"Right up here." Hinata crossed the street and turned the corner. Sasuke glanced up at where Hinata had led him. A lavender shop with fairy lights dangling down stood before him. 

"This is Arlea's Tea & Treats," Hinata introduced. "I g-go here a lot after practice or on the weekends. It's r-really cozy, especially in the winter."

"I hope so. It's brutal out here."

"It'll be warmer inside." Hinata stepped forward and opened the door for Sasuke. He walked through and let out a sigh of relief. Hinata was right. A blast of warmth hit his skin.

"Hey Hinata," A girl with a long black ponytail called out, a pile of menus stacked precariously in her arms. "It's good to see you. Who's this?"

"This is Sasuke. We dance together." Sasuke listened to Hinata talk to the girl and had a realization; she wasn't stuttering. He was shocked. Every time he had heard Hinata speak prior to this, her voice constantly faltered. Here she was talking and she sounded as clear and confident as anyone else.

"Where do you want to sit?" Hinata asked, nudging Sasuke's arm. He looked back into the shop. He couldn't see every available seat, but what he could spy was a large window.

"Over there." Sasuke didn't wait for Hinata, walking back and assuming she would follow suit. She did. He heard her skirting her way around tables. Sasuke took the liberty of choosing which chair he wanted. He chose the one to the left.

"Sorry," Hinata whispered to a pair of girls she bumped into. She pulled out the chair across from Sasuke and plopped down.

"I wish there was more room."

"I can only imagine when it's filled to full capacity," Sasuke said, looking outside. On the sidewalk was a man in a long coat with short hair. In his hand, he had a shopping bag. He looked worried. Sasuke imagined that he had forgotten his partner's anniversary and had to do some damage control.

He turned back to Hinata and picked up a menu. The front of the glossy sheet was covered in drawn pictures of teacups. He turned the menu over and saw the extensive tea list. Reading through, he only recognized a couple of the names.

"Any recommendations?"

"I hate to sound biased, but everything is pretty good."

"So helpful." Sasuke looked through the tea names some more. "How are the Green Teas?"

"Ooh, they're very good."

"Guess I'll get that." Sasuke let the menu rest on the table. "I don't drink tea a lot."

"What will you get to eat?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know what goes good with tea."

"Any of the dessert type things."

"This is gonna be a weird lunch." Sasuke took another look at the menu, this time at the section labeled 'Sweets'. "You sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Hello, I'm Diandra. I'll be waiting on you today. What can I get for you?" A girl with an apron asked, a large smile on her face.

Hinata went first, placing her order. Sasuke went after.

"Sounds good. It'll be ready soon."

"I was surprised that you agreed to this," Hinata said once Diandra was gone.

"Yeah?"

"You've barely given me the time of day in class."

"I know." Sasuke didn't need reminders of his antisocial behavior. He was very aware of how he was.

"Why?"

"I like to keep to myself. I've never seen the need to have 'friends'." He did air quotes.

"But you're hanging out with me now."

"I suppose I thought it was time to at least give you a chance."

"Well, thank you." Hinata smiled and brushed her long hair back that had fallen over her eyes. "I hope you don't regret your decision."

"Not yet."

"Are you ready for Friday?" Hinata asked. "It's the big day."

"It is." A couple days now. Only a couple more days until he made his debut on stage as Don Quixote. It was exciting and nerve-wracking all wrapped up into one.

"My part isn't that big and I'm worried. I can only imagine how you feel."

"I've been practicing so much that I think I could run through the show blindfolded," Sasuke said. "Okay maybe not, but I know it pretty well." Ultimately, it didn't matter how well he knew the show. He would feel those pre-show jitters regardless.

"Good luck. Though you don't need it. You're really t-talented." The stutter re-surfaced as she gave Sasuke a compliment. A light blush covered her cheeks.

"Thank you. So are you."

"Oh, not compared to you. You're a star."

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply when Diandra returned, her hands balancing a tray. She set down their tea cups and food.

"Enjoy!"

Hinata picked up her tea cup and held it in the air.

"To Don Quixote."

Sasuke picked up his and clinked it to hers. "To Don Quixote."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow Sasuke being nice to Hinata. Who would’ve thought that day would come? Good for him though. Hinata is a sweetheart.


	47. Showtime

It was Friday; the day of Sasuke's first performance. Naruto had been waiting all week and finally the date had arrived.

No pleasantries today. He had to get out of there and get ready for the big night. He shoved his things into his briefcase and bolted out of the office.

The show didn't start until 7:30. He had roughly two hours before the curtains went up and the dancers walked out on stage. That was hopefully enough time to get everything done he needed to.

Buying something nice for Sasuke as a congratulatory gesture was the first task on the mental agenda. He stopped by the grocery store and picked up a pretty bouquet of flowers. While he wanted to make another custom arrangement, there wasn't enough time. The flowers he went with were soft pinks and purples; all wrapped up in a thick paper. To go along with the bouquet, Naruto picked up a box of expensive chocolate.

Back at home, Naruto took a quick shower, ate dinner, and got dressed. By the time he got in his suit, it was 7:08. Naruto grabbed the bouquet and hurried out of the door.

The outside of the theater was swarming with people. Naruto drove extra slowly so he didn't accidentally hit anyone. He made it through the large crowd and into the parking lot in the back. He found the closest spot he could and wasted no time in exiting the car.

"Naruto!"

Naruto walked up the the person who was in charge of taking tickets and recognized him as the man who had taken his tickets many times before. Seeing a familiar face amidst the throng of strangers was a comforting sight. He held out his ticket and smiled.

"Hey."

"Here to see the show?" He inspected the ticket and stamped it. "Wow, you got a pretty good seat. Front row."

"Had to go with the best." The tickets were a steep price, but Naruto didn't think twice about purchasing them. To see Sasuke as a lead from the front row? That was something he couldn't miss by sitting in the far back.

"Well, enjoy!" He handed the now stamped ticket back and ushered to the next person. Naruto pushed the doors of the theater open and walked inside, his dress shoes loudly clacking.

Compared to the other theaters Naruto had caught performances at, this fit right in. The walls were covered from top (or ceiling, rather) to bottom with what resembled renaissance artwork. He was so impressed that he forgot he was in a time crunch, letting his gaze wander as far as the eye could see.

Thankfully, his phone went off and reminded him.

7:28 PM.

Naruto shoved his phone into the pocket of his slacks and rushed to where the stage was. He realized he must've looked wild running in a full suit in the theater, but he would prefer that to missing even a minute of Sasuke's performance.

By the time he found his seat, he must've said sorry a dozen times to the people he ran into. He was relieved when he no longer had to search. His timing was impeccable. The lights dimmed the near second he sat down.

The curtains didn't lift right away. A conductor led an orchestra who played a lively and upbeat song. From the song alone, Naruto got the impression that the show was going to be over the top. When the last note of the song rung out, a thunderous round of applause erupted.

Naruto watched the stage as the curtains rose up. He didn't have to anticipate Sasuke's appearance for long. As soon as the heavy curtains were out of the way and the stage was in full view, he saw Sasuke being carried in by a man. His eyes were closed and his mouth was parted. Naruto smiled. He had seen Sasuke sleep many times before and it looked just like that; peaceful and content.

The man laid Sasuke down in a bed of what Naruto guessed was his character's room and flashed an exasperated expression towards the audience and the woman who assisted him. When the two of them walked away, Sasuke shot back up from his horizontal position. He dramatically motioned around the room, stalking over to various knight equipment. He grabbed a sword and stuck it in the air as if he had just won a ferocious battle.

The man and woman rushed back in and made the bed while Sasuke made his way over to them with the sword. He waved it towards them, chasing the pair of them out. With them gone, he picked up a book from the ground and clutched it to his chest.

Sasuke opened the book and held it out in front of him. A dreamy look was on his face as the dimly lit bedroom changed to being bathed in a blue hue. A girl with a sheet over her head and a full tutu bowed and gracefully moved. Sasuke bowed back. He ventured closer when two shadowy creatures moved around her; masks covering their faces.

Sasuke ran back to his trusty sword and fended them off. The second the creatures were gone, the room changed back to its prior lighting and Sasuke was alone in the room. Despite the disappearance of both the creatures and the mysterious girl, he continued to wave the sword around. He climbed on top of the bed where he ended up collapsing with his sword.

Naruto stifled a small laugh. From what he had seen so far, the role of Don was perfect for Sasuke. Don was ambitious, brave, and not to mention dramatic. It suited Sasuke well.

A short man who Naruto had not seen thus far entered the room; three women in matching dresses running after him. Sasuke remained asleep until the man came over to him and shook him awake.

Sasuke threw the angry women a broom and they stomped off. Annoyed with the man for disturbing him, he tossed him to the ground. The man rubbed his large stomach and frowned. Sasuke, ignoring whatever the man had to say, looked off into the distance. His face lit up and he stuck his finger in the air. He explained to the man through hand gestures that he wanted to set out on an adventure.

The man reluctantly agreed and fetched Sasuke his knight gear. He helped Sasuke get suited up in a chest piece and a belt that had a sword dangling to the side. To complete the look, Sasuke grabbed a metal hat and placed it upon his head proudly. The man (who Naruto learned was called Sancho) handed Sasuke a tall lance. Sasuke grabbed Sancho by the hand and led him off on their quest.

The curtains swished back and Naruto loudly clapped. Only ten minutes of the show had gone by and already he was eager for more. Sasuke was killing it as Don and he couldn't wait to tell him after the performance.

Another song by the orchestra played as the curtains remained shut. Naruto couldn't see the stage, but he would've bet that they were changing the set for Act 1. When the curtains opened, he saw that his intuition was spot on. Instead of the bed and plain background, there was backdrop with a blue sky and buildings. Naruto blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the shift in brightness.

A large amount of people congregated on stage. Girls wore frilly dresses that went to the knee and guys wore baggy shirts, vests, pants, and scarves tied around their waist. They turned and leapt across the stage.

A girl in a layered red dress with sparkling embellishments came forth from the massive gathering. She did high jumps, all while holding a fan that matched her dress. A lot of the moves she was doing were ones he had seen Sasuke do a number of times; pirouette, jeté, temps levé.

Men tried to approach her but she rejected them all with a smile gracing her lips. She moved to where Naruto couldn't see her anymore and a man in a slim red outfit came forward and danced by himself. He was incredibly agile and slim, reminding Naruto of Sasuke.

He ended up finding the girl in red and kneeling to her. The man was handed a guitar and he and the girl did a dance together. It was very cheeky and playful. The girl went from rejecting him to embracing him. She even went as far as to switch their objects; giving him her fan and taking his guitar.

They ended their dance with her leaning back as he held her. Their happiness was short lived. Not long after they posed did a buff man storm in and shove the two of them apart. He was clearly displeased. He dragged the girl away and crossed his arms. She tried to be extra sweet to him but to no avail. Her lover, the man in red also known as Basilio, joined her. The older man glared at him and pointed angrily.

He tried to keep Basilio and Kitri (the girl in red) away from each other the best he could. The angry man (who Naruto soon figured out was Kitri's father) brought in a man wearing an ugly tailcoat and hat and introduced him to Kitri. She didn't seem interested in the slightest.

The ensemble dancers moved excitedly around and made room on the stage. Naruto wondered why until he saw Sasuke come in on a giant metal horse. With his lance pointing up in the air and his legs wrapped around the horse's sides, Naruto thought he looked incredibly regal.

Sancho blew a large horn, alerting everyone to Sasuke's presence. The townspeople helped Sasuke off the horse and made sure he landed firmly on his feet. Sasuke walked forward, shield out in front of him. Metal clanked with every step he took.

While Sasuke was being admired, a gaggle of girls in red dresses grabbed Sancho and blindfolded him. He seemed excited to be getting the attention. They spun him around and disoriented him. He was flung around from person to person. The blindfold was eventually removed and Sasuke stepped in to save him. To show his gratitude, Sancho clung to Sasuke's leg.

Kitri and Basilio made a return. When they finished their short dance, Sasuke came up to Kitri and bowed. He took her by the hand and they danced for a quick moment before being interrupted by Kitri's green-coated suitor; who jabbed at Sasuke with his pointy umbrella.

Kitri and Basilio did a graceful number after Sasuke was pushed to the side. Naruto was impressed by how the man who played Basilio picked Kitri up like it was nothing. Their movements together were the perfect picture of grace. Kitri looked like a gentle leaf being blown in the wind.

Sasuke rose from his seat and made his way back to Kitri. This time, they actually got to dance for longer. Sasuke moved in his armor quite well. Naruto knew that if he had that constricting metal on his limbs, he would've stumbled and fell. Sasuke, however, looked like a natural. He stepped carefully and moved around Kitri.

The ensemble filled the stage and the festivities picked up even more. Kitri and Basilio snuck away to avoid Kitri's father. Joining the father in the lookout for the couple was the man he wanted to fix her up with (Gamache). The curtains closed as Sasuke and Sancho decided to look for Kitri and Basilio as well.

The second Act began with Kitri and Basilio running around the stage lit with blue. They preformed a pas de deux, filled with lots of movements in sync with each other, romantic dips, and careful sweepings of the feet. They ended up at a camp where they were pulled apart and intimidated. Basilio tried to explain their situation and the people of the camp helped them to hide from Kitri's father, Lorenzo, and Gamache.

When Lorenzo, Gamache, Sasuke, and Sancho showed up, Kitri and Basilio were already gone. Sasuke dismounted from his horse and was invited to watch a show by the people of the camp. Sasuke stayed still for the entire duration until he saw a certain girl in a pink dress. He extended his arms towards her. Sancho pulled him away, but it wasn't enough. Sasuke unsheathed his sword and started swinging at people.

Sasuke spotted a windmill and wouldn't stop attacking it until he collapsed from exhaustion. Eerily, it reminded Naruto of when Sasuke passed out during Swan Lake. Naruto knew it was part of the show, but an instinct within himself told him to go up there and make sure he was okay.

Sasuke laid face down. Sancho frantically ran around him and helped to move him off to the side of the stage. The shadowy creatures from the prologue came back and Sasuke attempted to fight them off. They left and Sasuke was alone. A backdrop of a forest rolled down behind him. Sasuke looked around, confused.

The girl with a sheet over her made a return as well and Naruto realized it was likely another dream sequence. Her movements were dainty and wispy, like the fog that rolled around the ground.

He moved in her direction and grabbed at her, but she slipped through his fingers. No matter how hard he tried to get her, he couldn't. She disappeared for a brief moment.

When she came back, she took off the sheet and wrapped the silky fabric around him. On top of her head was a crown. Her dress was a pale pink. The curtain rose up further and a whole group of ballerinas were revealed.

The girl in pink held onto Sasuke as she slowly turned. She moved away from him and with a trio of ballerinas, eventually floating offstage. Sasuke faced the other ballerinas who were also dressed in soft colors.

The pink girl made a habit of disappearing and coming back, leaving poor Sasuke to yearn after her. Naruto saw the look in his eyes. It was an artificially manufactured expression of desire—one that Naruto could only tell wasn't genuine because he knew Sasuke's glances. To the average eye, it would look as real as anything else.

One of Naruto's favorite parts from the act was when the ballerinas moved together as a unit, their arms swaying back and forth. The final image of the scene was Sasuke with his arms splayed out desperately as he looked on at the girl in pink. The curtains closed once again.

When they opened the next time, Naruto was greeted with what looked like a tavern. Kitri and Basilio were back and joyful as ever. Well, until Lorenzo caught up to them. Sasuke and Sancho showed up about the same time.

Lorenzo dragged Kitri against her will to Gamache. Basilio pushed Kitri out of the way and faked his death by preforming a pretty hilarious looking stabbing. Naruto held back a laugh. He had to do that a lot. Going into the show, he didn't realize how many comedic elements there were.

With Basilio on the ground getting water from Kitri, Sasuke stuck out his lance and pointed it at people, making them scatter. He went after Lorenzo and made him give a blessing to Kitri and Basilio. Once he reluctantly gave in, Basilio jumped off and ran off stage.

Lorenzo, sad and defeated, made Gamache fight against Sasuke. Sasuke drew his sword and went on the offense. It was apparent that the pretentious man had nothing on Sasuke and Sasuke ended the fight after a good couple jabs. He ripped Gamache's wig off. An embarrassed Gamache ran away.

The last act of Don Quixote was focused on the union between Basilio and Kitri. The couple came out in white and danced for all of the village. Kitri's father appeared after and broke them apart. They were very upset until Lorenzo broke out into a smile and pulled Basilio into a hug. He then hugged his daughter and let them embrace in front of him.

Lorenzo motioned for the rest of the village to join the celebration, lastly waving to Sasuke and Sancho. Sasuke came forward in front of all of the rest of the dancers, who were lined up in rows. He stood in front of them while they danced.

Sasuke gave one last confident look ahead. He took his lance from Sancho and marched through the row of villagers until he was no longer in sight. The last act concluded with Kitri and Basilio at the head of the village and the other villagers moving as they did. Triumphant music blared as the curtains closed for a final time.

The curtains opened back up for everyone in the show to take their final bows. Naruto stood up and clapped for all of the dancers as more and more of them came out to receive their applause. For the most part, the volume in the theater stayed about the same. However, when Kitri and Basilio came out, there was an influx of noise and the clapping got louder.

After Kitri and Basilio, the dancers on stage parted. Out came Sasuke and Naruto smiled so hard that his face hurt for awhile afterwards. Not only did his face hurt, but his hands did as well with how intense his claps were. He let out an extra loud holler and felt himself tearing up. Sasuke bowed. When he came back up, he made eye contact with Naruto. Naruto saw the corner of his mouth upturn with a small smile.

Once Sasuke bowed, all of the dancers joined hands and did one last bow together. A tear ran down Naruto's face. He didn't bother wiping it away. The curtains closed and the lights came back on. Naruto found his way out of there and went backstage.

The second Naruto saw Sasuke, he grabbed him and wrapped his arms around him tightly, the flowers squishing against Sasuke's back.

"Are you crying?" Sasuke asked when they stopped hugging. His hair was messy from the metal helmet he had on all show. Naruto nodded.

"I'm just so proud of you. You did amazing."

Sasuke looked down and smiled. "Thank you. Are these for me?" He gestured to the flowers and the chocolate.

"Yeah. I hope you like them." He handed them to Sasuke.

"Thanks for coming."

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Naruto said. "You better believe I'm gonna come to all your other shows too."

"Won't you get sick of the story by then?"

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't when I saw all of your other performances. I won't now. It's even more exciting with how big your part is. You got to bow by yourself!"

"Yeah," Sasuke said, his voice softer than usual. "I guess I did."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have,,, a lot of feelings about this chapter. If you didn't know, there are multiple versions of Don Quixote. This was one of them. I'm so emo right now oh my god. When Sasuke took his bow I was actually tearing up. I'm so proud of my boy. Oh and fun little side note I found interesting. Don Quixote is going to be performed at the Royal Opera House in later in August. If only I could go. That would be amazing to see after focusing on it in my story. Oh well, maybe one day!


	48. Crossing a Line

Sasuke thought the giddiness in his chest would wear off after the first show. He couldn't have been more wrong. Each time a performance wrapped up, he still felt that same warmth spreading throughout him.

Being Don was an exceptional feeling. He wasn't some side character who appeared in the background who people didn't pay a second thought to. He was front and center in almost every scene. It was great after being not acknowledged for so long. Maybe now his name would be out there.

He let himself imagine it; Sasuke Uchiha—famous ballet dancer. Known across the world and not just in his local city. People traveling far to see him perform. Being talked about long after a show was over.

The role of Don made him feel like that would be possible one day. Maybe.

For now, he had to do his best as a proud knight. He put his all into every second he was on stage. Ino called him stupidly dramatic, but Sasuke knew she was jealous of all of the attention he was getting with his role.

After one particular show, Mr.Hatake rounded all of the cast up to make an announcement. Sasuke was curious to what that was. He hoped it wasn't something bad like him making a misstep. Nerves made his stomach clench.

"Great show everyone."

Sasuke let out a quiet sigh of relief. Mr.Hatake wouldn't say that if he didn't mean the praise. Unless... the news was terrible and he was trying to soften the blow. Upon Sasuke's brain coming up with the thought, his nerves doubled.

"I want to do something special for the fans. After the next show, I want to have a meet and greet where they can meet the leads."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open. A meet and greet? In all of his years of dance, they had never done that.

"It won't be too long, so don't worry about having to stay super long after the show is over. It'll probably be for an hour or so, depending on how many people show up."

In a way, it was a taste of stardom that he had been imagining. Of course people would be there to meet the other dancers too, but the experience was reminiscent of his daydreams.

"Any questions?"

"Do we have to stay the whole time?" Brian yelled from the back of the group. Mr.Hatake rolled his eyes.

"I should've clarified. Any questions that _aren't_ obvious?"

No one said anything else. Mr.Hatake clapped once.

"Okay. You can go home for tonight. See you tomorrow."

******

"So you're gonna get to meet people that come and see you? That's so cool!" Naruto said after Sasuke finished telling him about the news. "Like a celebrity."

"Not even close."

"It is! Celebrities have meet and greets."

"Usually people pay to go to theirs."

"Don't diminish this. It's still an accomplishment."

"You're right." Sasuke considered what Naruto was saying instead of replying with more cynicism. "It is pretty cool."

"That's the spirit."

"Sometimes I think I'm dreaming and in reality I'm still in the ensemble." Sasuke's words were met with a hard poke from Naruto.

"What was that for?" Sasuke rubbed his arm and glared.

"To prove that you aren't dreaming like they always do in movies."

"You can still feel pain in dreams, dumbass." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "But thanks for the attempt to show me I'm not asleep."

"What time is the meet and greet at?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Dunno the exact time. All I know is that it's directly after the show."

"I hope it goes well."

"Me too."

******

Sasuke bowed with the rest of his class as the audience clapped. Another show came to a close and Sasuke was satisfied. Well, at least when it came to his performance. As for his fellow dancers, he had some critiques. In the second act during the dream sequence, one of the ballerinas fell out of sync with the others.

Not only that, but during the tavern scene, one of the dancers in the background nearly got in the way of Sasuke. Luckily for the production, Sasuke was highly attentive.

Mr.Hatake gave a round of applause when all the dancers were huddled together backstage.

"Go touch up your makeup if you need to. We're going to go out back in a couple minutes for the meet and greet."

Sasuke played around with the cuff of his shirt. He had been thinking about the meet and greet since yesterday when he was first told about it. His nerves were taking over now that it was so close.

To provide some distraction, Sasuke took Mr.Hatake's advice and went over to the elongated mirror where he had gotten ready. He uncapped his eyeliner and fixed the black that had started to fade.

"Hey Superstar."

Sasuke nearly jabbed his retina. Behind him was his teacher. Looking over his shoulder, he set the makeup down.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you."

"Forgot to tell me what?"

"As a lead in our show, you don't have to get ready over here."

"Come again?" Sasuke was confused. He had no idea what Mr.Hatake was talking about.

"Yeah. C'mere."

Sasuke slid off the chair and followed Mr.Hatake. He didn't have to walk far. It wasn't long before they stopped at a door.

"What's this?"

"Open the door," Mr.Hatake prompted him, standing back.

 _Here goes nothing_ , Sasuke turned the doorknob. Inside was pitch black. He couldn't see a single thing.

"Is there a light switch?"

"Of course." Mr.Hatake moved forward and stuck his hand into the room. Sasuke heard his fingers skimming over the wall. After a couple seconds, the darkness was gone and in its place was bright light that flooded the entire space.

"Go on in."

Sasuke ventured in further. The walls were light grey. Off to the side was an empty rack with a few hangers. But the main focal point of the room was the large dresser. A chair was pulled out in front of the low surface. Against the back of the dresser was a large mirror. Unlike the mirror Sasuke was used to getting ready at, this one had no grimy fingerprints. Light bulbs went around the perimeter of the mirror.

"I don't understand."

"It's your own personal dressing room." Mr.Hatake ran his hand along the door frame. "You can put pictures on the mirror or walls if you want. Just no nails or anything that'll leave a mark. Oh and-"

"Did you say my _own_ dressing room?"

His own space to get ready. He was used to being crammed at the shared mirror that he had to fight for space at. To have a room away from everyone else was a dream.

Mr.Hatake nodded. "You heard me right. Sorry again for not telling you until now."

"It's okay. We just started running the show." Sasuke walked over to the chair and sat down. It was surprisingly comfortable. "I'll get plenty of use out of it."

"I'll put your name on the door so everyone knows it's yours."

"Sounds good." Sasuke smiled. A labeled dressing room solely for him. Ino would be infuriated.

"And I wanted to tell you one on one that I'm proud of how you've been doing," Mr.Hatake said. "I know that leading up to this, you were struggling a lot. Watching you in the show, I wouldn't have known that at all. You've been phenomenal."

Sasuke let the praise soak in. He caught his widening smile in the mirror and made his lips lie flat. He shouldn't show his reactions to compliments.

"Thank you. I appreciate your feedback." That was better. More professional. Meanwhile inside, he was a joyous kid like when he started ballet. Praise from Mr.Hatake meant the most.

"We should get going. The meet and greet is starting soon."

"Right." Sasuke got out of the chair and flicked the light off. He re-joined his class and walked out with them through a door at the back of the theater.

A loud cheer ripped through the crowd that had formed outside. Sasuke's eyes darted around, not sure where to look first. People covered in heavy jackets, scarves, and hats were standing and looking up at the dancers with excitement in their eyes.

"Can I have everyone form into a single file line? I don't want anyone to get mobbed," Mr.Hatake used his loud teacher voice to make sure everyone from the back of the pack to right in front of them could hear. The crowd slowly shuffled so they were arranged roughly into a line.

"Okay. Now that that's settled, feel free to come up and meet the performers."

Sasuke was next to Brian and Jenna. The crowd began to approach them.

The first person that came up to Sasuke was a little girl with short brown hair and a puffy coat. She looked up at Sasuke with a large smile, a gap between her two front teeth.

"Can I touch your sword?" She asked with glee.

"Uhhh sorry. I don't want you to get hurt." Interacting with kids was weird. Sasuke could barely talk to people his own age. Trying to figure out how to communicate with someone less than half as old was a real challenge.

"Awe man." The girl frowned. "Is it heavy?"

"A little, yeah." Sasuke awkwardly laughed. "Thanks for coming to see the show."

"It was so cool! I like when you were fighting with that guy." She jabbed the air with her imaginary sword.

The next person to talk to him was a girl that to his best guess, was around his age. She grilled him on what it was like to be a dancer and even ended up getting too personal. Sasuke was thankful when Mr.Hatake ushered her along to Jenna.

His first encounter with a fan came after a middle aged man and his equally middle aged wife tried to converse with him about the most random stuff. Sasuke was zoning out, if he was being honest. He yawned when a girl ran up to him and let out a squeal.

"Sasuke Uchiha is that really you?!"

Sasuke scratched his head and nodded, a bit intimidated of her loud demeanor. "It is."

"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod! I _need_ a picture with you! Can I please take one? Please?"

"Uh, sure."

"Yessss ohmygod thank you." She rifled through her bag and pulled out a phone. Moving so that she was in front of him, she held out the phone above. Sasuke cringed when he saw himself on the screen.

"Okay. 3, 2, 1."

Sasuke put on a smile for the picture. He was never good at fake smiling and refrained from gagging when he saw how the picture came out.

"Thank you soooo much. I can't wait to see your next show." She giggled and ran off to her family that was waiting at the end of the street.

One of his favorite encounters was from a sweet girl in a puffy tutu. She came up to Sasuke, beaming.

"I want to be like you one day. I love dancing."

"Train hard and you can be." Sasuke smiled. She was honestly melting his heart a bit with how adoringly she looked at him.

"Really?!" She gasped. "Mom, did you hear that? I can be a dancer like him!"

"That's sweet honey." The mother rubbed the girl's head. "Thank you," She said to Sasuke.

"It's no problem," Sasuke said. He smiled as her and her daughter walked away. The girl kept looking back and waving. Sasuke waved to her from afar.

"Hey, can I have your autograph?"

Sasuke had been waving to the girl and didn't see who was addressing him.

"Yeah, sure." He looked back and his heart skipped a beat. In front of him was Naruto, a grin on his face.

"You came to see me?"

"Of course. I had to meet the star of the show." He winked.

"You waited in that long line. You didn't have to."

"It was worth it."

"What... is that?" Sasuke hadn't looked down at what Naruto had clutched in his hands until now. Naruto laughed.

"For you to sign." Naruto lifted the item in question up for Sasuke to see. It was a glossy print of Sasuke from a shoot he did awhile ago. He picked the photo up and examined it closer. He remembered having that headshot done. He hated when the photographer got right in his face.

"Where did you get this from?"

"I had it printed out. Look at how handsome you are."

"Oh I'm looking," Sasuke said. "Do you really want it signed?"

"Hell yeah I do. Sign away."

Sasuke signed the print and handed it back to Naruto. "You're such a dork."

"Only when it comes to you." Naruto held onto the signed print and smiled. "How's the meet and greet going so far?"

"Not bad."

"That's good to hear. I'm gonna hang around while it wraps up. Then we can go back to my place after."

"Sounds good," Sasuke said. "I think it'll be done in about twenty."

Naruto walked away and stood at the back of the crowd. Sasuke continued to meet with people, shake hands, and take pictures. He was growing weary as the minutes went on. A lengthy show and all of the social interaction made him yearn to crawl under his covers and pass out.

"Hey."

A man in a t-shirt and jeans greeted Sasuke. Sasuke's first thought was wondering how the man wasn't freezing.

"Hi."

"You know, usually when I've seen Don Quixote, the person who plays Don is old and gross. You're quite the opposite."

"Thanks."

The man inched closer. "I mean it. Usually it's not a pretty boy like yourself."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and made eye contact with Naruto from across the way.

 _Please come back over here_ , he recited in his head while looking at Naruto. The blonde didn't move. Sasuke sighed and turned to face the guy.

"Typically Don is played by someone older, but everyone in our production is around the same age."

"You make a good knight."

"You should move onto the next person. There's a lot of talented dancers in our show."

"I'm fine talking to you." The man discreetly moved his hand so his fingers brushed against Sasuke's arm. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off.

"Heyyyy," Naruto said, coming up between them, knocking the stranger's hand off him in the process. "There's a no touching policy here."

"Who are you?" The man asked, glaring at Naruto. Naruto's confident stance remained while he stared him down.

"Unimportant. Keep your hands off the dancers or you'll be asked to leave."

Sasuke couldn't lie to himself. Naruto being protective over him was... hot. His eyes traveled to Naruto's big arms that were visible under the sleeves of his long jacket. If the guy advanced on him, he was sure Naruto wouldn't hesitate to beat his ass.

"Whatever. I was leaving anyways." The man looked at Sasuke one last time and smirked. "If you ever want to talk sometime, I'll be around." He walked away.

"Sorry to intervene but he was seriously crossing a line," Naruto said. "He shouldn't have been touching you like that."

"It was only my arm. It's okay."

"No, it's not okay." Naruto frowned. "You deserve to have your personal space respected."

"Speaking of personal space, did I tell you about how I got my own dressing room?"

"No, you did not." Naruto gasped. "That's amazing!"

"Mhmmm. It's super cool. I should show you sometime."

"You can tell me about it while we walk to the parking lot," Naruto said. "I'd love to hear more."

Sasuke looked over to the rest of the crowd. At the start of the night, the whole street had been filled. Now, the number of people had severely dwindled.

"I'm sure it's okay if I leave now. I think I've had enough anyways after that guy." Sasuke shuddered. "I need a shower."

"You can shower at my house if you want."

"We'll see, pervert." Sasuke lightly hit Naruto on the shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto being here to fend off creepy guys from Sasuke? Here for it.


	49. That Night

"I can't believe that shirt was so expensive. That was one of the ugliest things I've ever seen," Naruto said as him and Sasuke were wandering throughout the city. They had been out all day, visiting various shops and having lunch at a nice restaurant.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Sasuke replied, his steps matching Naruto's. "I don't know what would possess someone to want to buy that."

"I still say you should've gotten that pair of pants. They looked great on you," Naruto said, walking down the sidewalk. "I would've bought them for you."

"No. They were also pretty expensive," Sasuke said. "Save your money for something else."

"Anything you want is yours." Naruto smiled. "Where do you wanna go next? We could always go to the arcade."

"So I can beat your ass at DDR? Count me in."

"You mean get beat by me. You're going down."

"Me? The professional dancer? Sureeee," Sasuke said sarcastically. "I'll hold you to that."

"You better believe it." Naruto looked down the length of the street. "I think we keep going in this direction to get there."

"You know better than me."

Wind whipping against Naruto's heavy jacket, he stared down the street. From where he was, he could see the glow of the arcade.

"Right up here."

Sasuke grumbled behind him the rest of the way there. Naruto looked back at him. He thought by now that Sasuke would've learned to dress appropriately for the weather. He held onto his bare arms and had that signature frown on his face that Naruto had grown accustomed to.

"Want my jacket?"

"No."

Of course. Sasuke was too proud for that. He would've rather frozen to death than accepted help from Naruto.

"We'll be there in a minute. Try not to turn blue by then."

Naruto quickened his pace. All jokes aside, he didn't want Sasuke to get hypothermia from being outside in the cold for too long. He opened the door to the arcade.

"Freezing boys first."

Sasuke glared and walked through the entryway. Naruto let the door close, savoring the warmth of the arcade. He looked around at who was there today. A few machines were occupied in the far corners of the building. As far as Naruto could tell, the place was mostly empty.

"Do you want to go straight to DDR or warm up on some other games before you face your inevitable defeat?" Naruto asked. Sasuke scoffed.

"The only 'defeat' here will be on your end."

"Prove it," Naruto said, a lot more confident than he rightfully should've been.

"Show me to the DDR game and I will."

Naruto grinned and took Sasuke by the hand. "Follow me."

"I don't have much of a choice." Sasuke looked down at their joined hands. "I'm at your mercy."

"Oh, you make it sound so terrible to be linked with me," Naruto dramatically laid his free hand against his forehead and dragged Sasuke after him. "Let's hope there's no girls trying to hog the machine this time."

"Hm?"

"Never mind." Naruto forgot that Sasuke wasn't there with him that time he was with his friends. He ran up to the twin DDR machines and jumped onto one of the bases. Sasuke, more gracefully, stepped up next to him.

"I'll let you pick the song that you lose to," Sasuke said.

"I won't be losing, but sure. I can pick the song." Naruto tapped the arrow and looked through the library of music. He found a song with a high difficulty rating and selected it. A short preview played.

"You hear that?"

"I do," Sasuke said. "Stop stalling and hit start."

"I'm not stalling." Naruto confirmed the song selection. A timer counted them down.

3...2....1

Arrows flew down the slanted screen. Naruto struggled already within a few seconds. A bad sign. Sasuke had no trouble. His feet hit the arrow markings exactly when he was supposed to. He looked over with a smug grin as his feet moved quickly.

"What were you saying?"

The game continued on for a few more minutes. Sasuke won; victory showing on his face. He looked up at his significantly higher score and then back at Naruto.

"We should play something you have a chance at."

Naruto pouted. "Anything else. This wasn't even a fair competition. I should challenge you on a game where the goal is to see how fast you can file something or submit a company report."

Sasuke snorted. "That would be a very boring game."

"You're right. But at least I would win."

They spent the rest of their time at the arcade playing various machines. Naruto was pleased with his few triumphs over Sasuke. When they finished, their win-loss ratio was about even. Sasuke led by a few. His coordination and control that he surely learned from years of ballet helped.

"That was fun," Naruto said. He held the door of the arcade open for Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, walking through.

"I think the most fun part was beating you."

"Only by a little."

"Good thing a little still counts."

The cloudy sky was beginning to darken; changing over into the evening. Within an hour or so, the expanse would be fully dark. That was one thing Naruto didn't like about winter. It got dark so soon.

"We can go back to my place," Naruto offered. "You can spend the night or stay only for a little while." Instead of verbally responding, Sasuke nodded.

The pair of them quietly walked throughout the city, the honks from cars and distant passing conversations filling the silence. Naruto found enjoyment in the fact that he and Sasuke didn't have to speak at every moment. He had been in relationships before where he had to keep talking constantly. After awhile, he grew exhausted. He much preferred this.

Naruto stopped walking, realizing that Sasuke was no longer beside him. He glanced back. Sasuke was frozen in place several feet behind where Naruto was.

"Sasuke?" Naruto didn't notice that Sasuke was shaking until he got up close. He placed a hand gently on his back.

"What's the matter?"

Sasuke remained mute. His eyes flashed with something Naruto couldn't identify. He didn't say anything to Naruto's concerned question. Naruto tried again.

"Are you okay?" He thought that maybe phrasing it differently would result in a more receptive reply. No such luck.

"Sasuke." Naruto wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders, but he shook it off immediately. His face was hardened with terror that Naruto hadn't seen Sasuke express in a long time.

"Let's get you to the car." Naruto did his best to move Sasuke without touching him too much. He picked up on Sasuke's averse reaction and didn't want to make it worse. Without fully putting his hands on Sasuke, he guided him throughout the maze that was the city.

"The car is right up here." Naruto gave Sasuke little reminders of how much more they had to walk in hopes it would put him at ease. Sasuke's face gave nothing away. Naruto couldn't tell if his words were helpful.

Sasuke pulled open the passenger door. Naruto shut it after him. He looked both directions down the street before stepping off the curb.

Naruto sat in the car seat and looked over at Sasuke; whose breaths were shallow. He faced the window. Naruto saw his slender fingers tapping on his thigh.

"I'm going to take you home, okay?" With this sudden change in Sasuke's mood, Naruto thought it would be best for him to be in the comfort of his own place rather than Naruto's house. Sasuke said nothing.

Naruto drove to Sasuke's apartment as smoothly as possible. He wasn't sure what was wrong with Sasuke, but he didn't want his driving to add to the stress it appeared he was undergoing.

The apartment loomed in view. Naruto pulled into the parking lot and chose a spot from the many empty spaces. He turned to ask if Sasuke wanted to stay in the car or go right up, but Sasuke opened the door before he could do so. Naruto followed after him.

"You don't need to come up. I'm fine," Sasuke said, his back turned to Naruto while he walked up the stairs.

"You're not fine. You were shaking and wouldn't talk to me."

"I'm okay."

Naruto frowned. Despite what Sasuke said, he didn't buy a word of it. He followed after Sasuke.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

They fought back and forth. Sasuke reached the door to his apartment and slid the key into the lock.

"I worry about you."

"I know," Sasuke said with a sigh. He flicked on the light and sat on the couch. Naruto shut the door. He moved over to Sasuke and sat down next to him.

"I want to know what bothered you enough to make you get like that."

"Get like what?" Sasuke's tone was almost hostile.

"All quiet and scared."

Sasuke looked towards the window. Naruto wasn't sure what for. There was nothing to see. Night made the sky an impenetrable black. Maybe Sasuke just wanted to not have to meet his gaze.

When Sasuke said nothing, Naruto spoke again.

"If you think I'm going to be judgmental and that's why you don't want to tell me, I can assure you that's not the case."

"It's not that," Sasuke mumbled, speaking into the crook of his arm. Naruto had to strain to hear him. "I know that you aren't like that."

"So what is it?"

Sasuke fell quiet once again. Naruto stood up from the couch and walked over to the fridge. He poured water into a glass and brought it over.

"For you."

Sasuke took the glass, eyeing the contents. He set the glass down on the table.

"You should have some," Naruto said, urging him to take a sip. "It won't hurt."

Sasuke didn't look like he had enough energy to refuse. Whatever happened must've taken a lot out of him. He bleakly lifted the drink up, his lips running along the edge of the glass, and tilted his head back. After a small sip, he set the glass back down. Water sloshed around but didn't spill.

"I'm sorry." The first words out of Sasuke's mouth were an apology. Naruto was lost.

"What for?"

"I hate getting like that." Sasuke clenched his fist into a tight, white, ball. "It's embarrassing."

"No, it's not."

"It is. I wish I wasn't like this."

"When you say 'like this', what do you mean?"

Sasuke inhaled sharply. "I probably should tell you. I've been keeping it locked inside for so long."

"Keep what inside?" Naruto's worry came out in a series of rapid-fire questions. He wanted to know what Sasuke was referring to and how that played into today. Watching Sasuke closely, he awaited an answer. Sasuke took another deep breath.

"About all this. It's been eating away at me for awhile."

"I'm here to listen."

"I should start at the beginning," Sasuke said. "I..."

"Take your time," Naruto interjected. "There's no rush."

"Right." Sasuke, more willing this time, drank some water. His hand that held the glass trembled.

"When I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time with my family. It was my older brother, my mom, and my dad."

 _Sasuke's family. He's never talked about them_ , Naruto thought, hoping the shock didn't show on his face. They had been talking for months and not once had Sasuke said even a single thing relating to them. Whenever Naruto had asked, Sasuke always brushed it off. Now that he was finally talking on the subject, Naruto was in disbelief.

"We had problems like any other family, but I have a lot of good memories with them." A smile tugged at the corners of Sasuke's mouth. "Sometimes, a memory I didn't even know existed will hit me out of nowhere. Like just this week, I remembered how we used to go out to this lake during the summer."

"It wasn't in the city, if you were wondering. There aren't lakes like that around here. Anyways, we would camp out for a couple days. My parents would lounge in the shade and my brother and I would go swimming." The smile grew wider. "We would come up with stupid little games and play around. It was fun."

Naruto smiled as Sasuke shared the memories, but couldn't help but feel like this wasn't it. Sasuke was upset and it certainly wasn't over a nice camping trip. A pit of worry flared up in Naruto's stomach.

"Saturdays were fun with them too. We would always have pancakes. I swear sometimes I can still smell the batter." Sasuke's smile faded. Naruto feared for what was yet to be said.

"It's funny how everything can go wrong in such a short time," Sasuke said, looking down. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes, threatening to fall at any second.

"It was night. I was in bed in my room." Sasuke's pace slowed down. The words that left his mouth sounded heavy, an immense weight to them. "Everything was silent..."

"Until it wasn't. I heard the breaking of glass, screams, and footsteps. I had no clue what was going on. I remember being so terrified and panicked. I ran into my closet and pressed myself as far back as I could go. Between the clothes hanging from hangers and the slits in my closet doors, it was hard to see. I had to squint and even then, I didn't see much."

Streams of tears rolled down Sasuke's cheeks and collected by his chin. He didn't wipe them away. His voice was becoming increasingly unsteady. It hurt Naruto to watch him unravel right before his eyes and not be able to do anything about it.

"The footsteps kept getting louder. Whoever it was opened my door and came inside. I saw their shoes right in front of me. The only thing that separated us was the thin closet door."

Naruto pictured a small Sasuke huddled up, shaking like he was now, trying to keep quiet. The image that his mind had conjured was painful. No one deserved to feel that afraid, especially not a child.

"Being in there felt like an eternity. To this day, I still have no idea how long I was actually hiding for. The footsteps eventually retreated and left. I heard them go down the stairs and out as the front door slammed shut."

"That wasn't the worst part. I thought at the time that it was, but I was wrong. I was so wrong." Sasuke's trembling intensified. "It was the aftermath. It was everything I saw."

The question formed in Naruto's head, but Sasuke didn't wait for Naruto to utter it. It was as if he had to get it all out. It was as if getting it all out would somehow lighten the burden he carried. Naruto could see it on Sasuke's tear-streaked face.

"I crawled out from the closet and stepped out into the hall. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I thought it was going to give out. I went to my brother's room first. His room was the closest to mine. I opened the door and froze. My brother was laying face down on the floor in a pool of blood."

"I ran over to him and shook him awake, not seeing the stab wounds at first. I didn't understand what I was seeing. Never before had I seen a dead body. I kept screaming for him to wake up. He never did."

"After that, I ran to my parents' room to tell them that my brother was hurt. I flung open the door, yelling. I stopped as soon as I saw what had happened."

"They were both in their bed. It would've looked normal except that across both their necks were two slashes, identical. Blood bloomed on their clothes and the blankets. A scream was caught in my throat. I didn't know what to do. I had no one to turn to."

"I called 911 sobbing. I'm surprised they made anything out of my incoherent voice. When the cops and the ambulances arrived, I remembered sitting in the hallway. I couldn't stop crying. Not when I saw the flashing lights through the windows. Not when the officials tried to console me. Not when I was out of the house."

"They tried to get me out while they removed their bodies. I wouldn't let them at first. I clung to my brother. Blood was smeared all over me, but I didn't care. I didn't want to leave his side."

"When they took him away, I ran to my parents and did the same thing. I watched as they wrapped my whole family up in body bags and stuffed them into the back of an ambulance."

"They brought me back to the station. They tried to question me. I didn't care. I just wanted them back. They tried to nicely explain that what I was asking for was impossible, but that only made me cry harder. I demanded to see them. They denied my request."

"I ended up living with my aunt and uncle. I wasn't close with them, but it was either that or I go to an orphanage. I resented living with them and took my anger out on them. It wasn't right, but I didn't have anywhere else to place blame. Well, besides myself..."

"I still blame myself for it. I shouldn't have hid like a coward. I should've tried to stop him. It's my fault that they're dead."

"No," Naruto said. "It's not your fault. You were a _child_. You responded how any child would have."

"Sometimes I wish it was me that was killed instead of them," Sasuke admitted, shame flooding his voice. "If I could trade places, I would."

Hearing all of this was surreal to Naruto. He couldn't believe that Sasuke had bottled this up for as long as he had. He reached to touch Sasuke, but Sasuke moved back further on the couch.

"I know you blame yourself, but this isn't your fault. It's the person that did this and their fault alone. It's a miracle that you survived."

"It doesn't feel so lucky."

"I know-"

"No, you _don't_ know. You don't know what it's like to have your family ripped away from you in an instant," Sasuke snapped. "You don't know what it's like to see their corpses in front of you. You don't know how helpless it makes you feel."

Naruto let Sasuke go off on him. He was right. Naruto hadn't experienced something like that. While he felt terrible for Sasuke, there was no way of knowing what that felt like unless he experienced it firsthand.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Living after surviving that has been hard. It was really bad right after it happened. I would see something minor that reminded me of the incident and would get set off. It took awhile for me to come back. It felt like I was trapped. The man hadn't hurt me and yet I was still hurt by him days and years after he was gone and locked up in prison."

"For awhile, it seemed to calm down. Meeting you and rising in the ranks of ballet had taken my mind off of it. But then we were at the gas station and..."

Naruto's eyes widened. He remembered the gas station. Sasuke was unnerved.

"I saw this guy who looked like the man that killed my family."

The words sank in and Naruto felt awful. If only he had known that was why Sasuke was shaking and freaking out, he would've been much more attentive and careful with him.

"I-" Naruto tried to say something, but nothing came out. He had learned so much and everything was coming together. It made sense why Sasuke was as closed off as he was. Anyone would be after that.

"Today I saw something that reminded me of what happened. That's why I froze. It wasn't as bad as the gas station, but it was still chilling and scary. I'm sorry if you think any less of me."

"No. I would never think any less of you. Now that I know this, I can better accommodate you when it happens," Naruto said. "I'm so sorry that happened to you and you've had to deal with the burden of that alone."

Sasuke sighed. "I didn't think I would ever tell anyone about this. I thought I would die not telling another soul. I don't even know why I told you, to be honest."

"I'm glad you did. I'm here for you."

Sasuke glanced down. "The anniversary of their deaths is coming up. I wanted to go to their graves this year. I've never gone before. I've always been too afraid or too sad or too angry to go. This year, I want to. Would... you come with me? You know, as moral support or something?"

"Of course," Naruto said. "If that will make you feel better. Are you sure you don't want to go alone?"

Sasuke nodded. "I'd just back out of it again like always. They deserve to have me visit. I at least owe them that."

"Then I'll be by your side." Naruto took Sasuke's hand into his own. "I'm proud of you for opening up to me. That couldn't have been easy."

"I feel strange," Sasuke admitted. "Part of me is relieved but part of me feels bad."

"We'll work through this. You've already come this far."

A sad smile came across Sasuke's face. "Saying it out loud makes it feel real, permanent."

Naruto nodded. "I understand."

"Like obviously I know what happened, but sometimes that kid part of me thinks they'll still come back. I know it's stupid, but I can't help it. Maybe that's why I've avoided their graves."

"It's not stupid. You're incredibly strong, Sasuke." Naruto kissed Sasuke's hand gently. "I know you don't feel like it, but you are. You really are."

Sasuke wistfully stared out the dark window. "I can do this." Naruto wasn't sure if he was speaking to him, or he was trying to convince himself.

"You can," Naruto echoed. " And I'll be there with you every step of the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started up since my last chapter so my updates might be slower and more erratic. I hope you understand. Anyways that's just so you know what's up haha I like to keep my readers informed. This chapter was so sad to write. I made myself sad to get into the mindset. That's the dedication level to this that I have oops.


	50. Confronting the Past

Sasuke was nervous to visit the cemetery. He had only gone for the funeral. In all of the years that passed, he never went. Not even once.

"You ready?" Naruto asked when he showed up to the apartment. Sasuke reluctantly said 'yes' though deep down, he knew he would never truly be ready.

"I'll be ready in one second. I'm gonna grab a few things first," Sasuke said. Naruto stood at the door while he hunted around the apartment. Where was it? He could've sworn...

"There you are," Sasuke said, relieved. He grabbed what he had been so frantically searching for and placed the lost items in a spare bag he had laying around the house. Bag on his arm, he walked over to Naruto.

"We can go now."

"You need a jacket. It's cold."

"I was going to grab one." Sasuke dug out one of his jackets and slid it on. Instead of the puffy monstrosity he wore over to Naruto's house weeks ago, he opted for a sleek jacket that fell right above his knees.

"Maybe some gloves too," Naruto added.

"You're pushing it." Sasuke grabbed his keys. He locked the door behind him and walked down the stairs. Naruto was making small talk, but Sasuke wasn't catching most of it. He was too busy feeling like he was going to vomit. It was akin to that of the preshow jitters he got before he went on stage.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"You gonna get in?"

"Oh... right." Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's car and sat down, letting out a breath as he did so. Naruto was seated not that much long after. He started up the car and they were on their way.

Throughout their ride, Sasuke frequently glanced down at Naruto's phone which had the map to the cemetery pulled up. Twenty minutes and they would be there. He watched the blinking blue dot that represented their car move along the electronic road.

"Want to listen to music?"

"No," Sasuke said. He didn't care for any extra sound. Even silence was too loud.

"We'll be there in-"

"Twenty minutes. I know," Sasuke cut him off. He was aware of exactly how long it was going to take. If the phone gave a countdown with seconds, he would've read those off too.

"19 now," Naruto said as the estimated time changed.

19 minutes and he would be there. He would be face to face with the final resting place of his family. Reality hadn't sunk in yet and he was sure it wouldn't until he was actually there.

The winding roads made Sasuke's stomach lurch. He gripped onto the side of the car. As badly as he wanted to retreat far away from this, he couldn't. He needed to do this. For them.

When Naruto spoke next, it jarred Sasuke. He flinched.

"We're here." Naruto slowly turned to Sasuke like he was going to flip out. Sasuke wouldn't let that happen. He would keep calm, despite that being an impossible task. He wanted to scream and cry and hit something all at once. In that moment, he was that hurt child all over again and he hadn't even left the car.

"I know." Sasuke bit his lip. He couldn't move. His hand wouldn't lift to open the door.

"I can get that for you."

"No. I got it." Sasuke willed his hand to move. It finally did. He wrapped his fingers around the handle and opened the door.

Bag clutched in his hands, he waited for Naruto to get out of the car. He looked out at the field of tombstones that sprawled before him. His eyes searched to see if he could spot where the graves of his family were. He didn't realize how caught up he was until an arm slid around him.

"We can take as long as you need."

Sasuke stared at the graves for a few more seconds and then looked over at Naruto. He could tell that the man was worried about him from the way his forehead creased. For a split second, he wondered if having Naruto come with him was a mistake. It wasn't right to drag him into the mess that was his life.

But Naruto looking at him with those sweet, understanding, eyes made him think that maybe it _was_ okay. Naruto was supportive as far as he could tell and didn't seem to think that Sasuke was this broken mess of a person that he himself felt like on occasion.

"Let's go," Sasuke said, resolute. There would be no more waiting. He had waited long enough. He needed to face this head on or he would never have a chance of moving on. The past would haunt him until he took his last breath.

They walked down the path; gravestones flanking each side. Snow coated the ground, covering what at one point was grass. Sasuke peered over at the names while they walked. Some of the frost obscured them, making it so Sasuke could read only part of a last name or the start of a first name.

A sense of dread came over Sasuke. He could stumble upon them at any point. Then, he saw it.

Uc-

Sasuke surged forward and wiped away the frost to uncover the name: Uceron, Matthew. Definitely not one of his family. Sasuke sighed and moved on to keep looking.

The only sounds were the crunching of snow underfoot and the distant call of birds. No one else was in sight. Just him, Naruto, and the hundreds of headstones that poked up from the ground. At this rate, he wasn't sure how long it would be until he came across what he was looking for.

Being in the cemetery made it difficult for Sasuke to think of anything else besides the fate of his family. He desperately tried to anchor himself to some other thought, but his mind kept circling back to that night.

He didn't realize that he was shaking until Naruto's steady grip held onto him.

Sasuke continued his slow walk that felt like a death march. Time lagged to a cruel pace. Sasuke fought his feet to keep moving.

He knew that the graves were near by the feeling he got in his gut. There was no way to rationally explain how he knew where they were. It was illogical. In fact, he wouldn't have believed it if it didn't happen to him first hand.

Sasuke stopped walking entirely. Something in him resonated with standing there, like he had done it before. That's when the flashback hit him.

_He was young. The trees seemed to be even taller back then, hulking above Sasuke like unfriendly giants. The funeral service was over. His family was buried. He had seen their bodies lowered into holes in the ground; one after another._

_He tugged at the cuffs of his scratchy suit that his Aunt and Uncle forced him in. He hated it. It didn't even fit him properly. While he stood in front of the graves, he looked out at the endless sky. The color was as drained and lifeless as he felt._

_He walked up closer to the graves and stared. He didn't know why, or what he did it for. To give himself peace? To find answers? To be free from the hell that his life had turned into? Whatever it was didn't come. All he could do was stare until his eyes bore so much into the engraved names that his retinas hurt._

_Sasuke remained that way for hours. He stayed at the sides of his deceased family until the sun had long gone and the night chill set in. His Aunt and Uncle had to physically drag him away. He would've slept there if they had given him the option._

The emptiness that he experienced looking at the graves then was similar to what Sasuke felt now as they lie only a few feet away. The names were blurred. A couple steps forward and he would be able to see them clearly. He wanted to back away. It wasn't too late.

Sasuke closed his eyes to ground himself. He needed to be composed if he was going to do this. Every deep breath was essential.

 _In and out. In and out_ , Sasuke repeated until he was sick of hearing the phrase echo in his brain. He opened his eyes and looked to Naruto.

"Can you stand back? I want to go up by myself."

Naruto nodded and backed up from Sasuke. Sasuke sighed and turned to face the graves. He moved, one foot at a time.

_You got this._

Flashes of his younger self at the graves, weekends with his family, and the night he discovered them jumbled together. He couldn't think straight. The memories assaulted him. He felt his throat constricting as more and more took over his mind.

He walked, afraid his legs would give out on him at any second. The graves fell into view sooner than he anticipated. There they were; the saddest trio.

He looked to his dad's first. It was simple and smooth, though years of being exposed to the weather took its toll. Next to his was his mom's. His sweet mom. Hers had a small flower carved at the bottom.

His brother's was next to hers. He didn't have anything fancy on his. It was simple, like their dad's. The most intricate part of the tombstone was the delicate text that spanned the surface.

Sasuke's eyes welled up with tears. He hated crying. It made him feel weak. He wasn't weak. Sasuke let the tears build up in his eyes until they were nothing less than wobbly screens that were dangerously close to spilling over.

Pain and emptiness clashed in his chest, fighting for which would remain supreme. So far it seemed like neither. Sasuke alternated between feeling totally vacant and seized with so much hurt that all he could do was collapse and beg for the sensation to stop. His body assumed the latter. He sank to his knees and slumped over.

The tears were finally released. Sasuke reached out and traced each inscription on the graves with his finger, tears rolling off his face and splatting onto the snow covered Earth. He didn't read them as he did so. He just let his finger guide him through the words and letters.

"I... brought some things for you," Sasuke said, fidgeting with the plastic bag. The handles were frayed. He reached into the depths and pulled out three roses.

"One for each of you." Sasuke stood up and placed a single flower on top of each grave.

"I have one more thing for you." Sasuke looked at his brother's grave, another tear slipping out. "When we were really young, you had this cool toy car. I always really wanted it, but you would never let me have it. One day, I decided to steal it from you."

He reached into the bag and pulled out a small car. The chipped black paint and rubbery wheels looked like they did all those years ago. Sasuke spun one of the wheels with his finger and continued to talk.

"You wondered where it went. You accused me of stealing it, but I denied it every time. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Sasuke set the car down next to the rose and looked upon the final display. "It's back with you now. It's all yours."

Sasuke stepped back and looked at the display. "I'll bring more flowers next time. I-I wasn't sure what to bring. I hope you like them."

Lowering his voice, he spoke softly. The wind could've carried his words away.

"I'm sorry for not visiting you sooner. I'm sorry for not doing more that night. Maybe if I did, we would still be a family."

A pang struck his heart. He imagined his family present day. All of it was so painful that Sasuke had to bite down hard on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from letting out a cry.

"You could've seen me preform. I... got the lead in a show finally, after working for it for awhile. I hope you would've been proud of me."

His family in the audience, smiling up at him as he did spectacular turns and leaps. His brother teasing him about the tight costumes he had to wear. He used to hate the teasing, but he would've given anything for it now.

"I miss you every day. I wish we could all be together again, at least one more time."

If he had known how soon his family would be taken from him, he would've tried to be nicer. He wouldn't have started as many arguments as he did. It was so pointless looking back on it.

But he couldn't do that. This was the hand he was dealt. He had to live with the pain, no matter how excruciating it got.

"Goodbye, for now." Heart aching, Sasuke stepped back until the names of his family became hard to decipher. He walked back to Naruto, the empty bag tugged by the gentle breeze.

"We can go," Sasuke said, finding it incredibly difficult to talk with how tight his throat was. He heard his voice crack.

"Are you sure? We can stay as long as you want."

Sasuke cast one last look at the graves. "Yeah, I'm sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has been kicking my ass and I barely have time to write and it sucks. I get so excited when I finally have an opportunity to get some in. This chapter was super emotional but also one of my favorites.


	51. Sole Survivor

Going to the cemetery with Sasuke was hard. Naruto realized that for Sasuke, it was ten times harder. He watched as the raven walked up and stared at the graves, a stillness overcoming him like Naruto hadn't seen.

He was prepared to be there all day if Sasuke wanted that. He would've hung back and let Sasuke get whatever closure he sought out. Sasuke stayed there for about a half hour before he came back to Naruto and announced they could leave.

The car ride back was awkward, as one could imagine. Anything that Naruto thought to say didn't seem right. He didn't want to possibly offend Sasuke or upset him further. Driving back, he wished he had looked into some sort of _Grief Counseling for Dummies_. That way he would've at least been prepared and didn't seem like an idiot.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke more than he should've. His eyes were supposed to be on the road. He had to check up and make sure Sasuke was doing okay. Well, as okay as you could be after visiting the final resting places of your family.

"Would you like me to spend the night?" Naruto asked when he arrived at Sasuke's apartment. Sasuke shook his head.

"I have dance tomorrow. No can do."

"Do... you want to talk about how you feel? I'm worried about you."

"Also no." Sasuke clicked the seat belt and the fabric strap retracted back into its holder. He stepped out of the car.

"You know you can, right?" Naruto said, getting out of the car after.

"Yeah." Sasuke sighed. He was doing that a lot lately. "The problem is that I don't think I can put into words how I feel right now."

"Try."

"We should talk about this inside. I don't need anyone else to hear me lamenting about my dead family." Sasuke sadly laughed. Naruto frowned and followed Sasuke up to his apartment.

"You can stay for a couple hours if you want," Sasuke said when they got inside. He threw his coat on the back of a chair. Under the unyielding light in the kitchen, Sasuke's eyes were a washed out red.

"I'll stay however long you'll have me for."

"Okay."

Naruto caught Sasuke glance at his reflection in the window of the kitchen. He turned away, revolted. Naruto didn't mention this to Sasuke when he decided to sit beside him on the couch.

"I feel everything and nothing at once," Sasuke said, unprompted. "It's confusing and tiring. I want to sleep for a hundred years."

"Can you ask Mr.Hatake if you can have the day off from dance?"

"No. We have another show soon," Sasuke said. "Maybe unearthing this was a bad idea. I don't want my feelings to affect my performance."

"They won't," Naruto assured. "You're a great dancer who doesn't let things get to you."

"I try."

"Do you feel better at all after going?"

"It's hard to tell. My feelings haven't settled."

"As the days go on, you'll figure it out."

"You really think I have everything together?"

Naruto nodded. "I do." His reply was nearly cut off by a loud laugh from Sasuke.

"No, I don't. You think too highly of me."

"I think as highly of you as you deserve."

"It's hard to feel like I deserve anything," Sasuke said. "I feel like my family should be here instead of me."

Naruto shook his head. "I know it probably feels that way, but you deserve to be happy and alive." He was doing his best to reassure Sasuke, but his heart was breaking in the process of doing so. He wondered how someone amazing and talented could utter words such as this. Sasuke was the last person who deserved to feel this way.

"I don't know." Sasuke looked out the window with a blank stare. "I don't get it. I shouldn't have been the sole survivor."

"You were the sole survivor because you hid. They didn't have enough time," Naruto said quietly.

"So I'm the only one left because of dumb kid instinct? That doesn't seem right."

"Nothing about this is right. The whole shouldn't have happened in the first place." Naruto adjusted himself on the couch. "None of this is your fault. You shouldn't feel guilty over something you had no control over."

"I want the guilt to stop." Sasuke's voice was desperate. He looked at Naruto with eyes filled with a deep sorrow. "Will it ever?"

"Yes."

"How?" Sasuke shook his head. "You say that with such... confidence. I'm not even _close_ to being that convinced myself. It feels hopeless."

"Up to this point, you haven't allowed yourself to really confront the situation. You never actively tried to move beyond it and let it stop having a hold on you." Naruto wasn't the smartest guy on the planet, but he did know a thing or two about being hung up on the past. "Now that you've come face to face with reality, you can start to accept what happened and work through all the feelings that you've shoved down for so long."

Sasuke sighed. He fixed his hair, a tell that he was considering Naruto's words. When he stopped, he spoke.

"Maybe so."

"I'll be here with you every step of the way." Naruto smiled optimistically. "It might not be easy, but I'll make sure you have the support you need. You aren't alone. I'm right here."

"Hah." Another sad laugh. "It's hard to believe I'm not alone when I've felt that way almost my entire life."

"You might have felt that way in the past, but I'm here now. You won't feel alone anymore if there's anything I can do about that."

Sasuke smiled, the start of something. "Thanks."

******

The next week or so was a whirlwind of emotions. Naruto stayed with Sasuke as much as he could, with work and Sasuke's busy ballet schedule. Some nights were good. Him and Sasuke would cuddle and Sasuke would share memories of his family, laughing along as the words came from his mouth. Naruto liked to learn more about the family that Sasuke had kept hidden for so long.

Other nights were bad. Sasuke was hit with loads of guilt and vivid flashbacks to the night of the incident. Naruto did his best to console him, but he never felt like he was doing enough. Logically, he was aware that it was unrealistic to wish he could take the trauma away from Sasuke. Emotionally, however, that's all he wanted. He hated seeing Sasuke wracked with pain.

Naruto reminded Sasuke and himself that it was all part of the healing process; that things would be rough before they got better. Sasuke probably got sick of hearing him say it, but it was true. That was the way of the universe.

One particularly bad day, where Sasuke was curled up on the couch after practice, Naruto decided to try and cheer him up. He ran out to the store and purchased a couple of items to bring back to the apartment.

When he opened the door, he saw Sasuke's head perk up slightly. The raven's dark eyes scanned over the bags that were hanging on his arms.

"What's that?"

"You'll see." Naruto closed the door behind him and took the bags to the kitchen. He turned his back so Sasuke couldn't sneak a peek at what he bought. He felt Sasuke's eyes on his back as he looked at everything.

"You're not letting me see."

"Don't worry, you will." Working while he made sure to not let Sasuke see was challenging, but he made do. After a couple minutes, he faced Sasuke and walked over.

"What is that? A kid's game?"

"You told me that when you were younger, you always wanted to play this. I figured we could play."

"I-" Sasuke was at a loss of words. "Not now. I wanted to when I was like, eight."

"It's never too late," Naruto said, sliding off the top of the box and setting it aside. "I also got you your favorite candy." He pulled out a bag of dark chocolate bars.

"I don't like candy, you know that."

"You always said you liked dark chocolate because it was bitter instead of being sweet like most candy." Naruto dangled the candy in front of Sasuke's face. "I would've gotten you your favorite from when you were younger, but I wasn't sure what it was."

"Do I have to get off the couch to play?"

"Yes."

Sasuke groaned. "I'd rather lay here."

"You've always wanted to play Scrabble."

"I'm pretty sure we need more than two people to play anyways."

"Nahhh. We can make it work." Naruto found the instructions hidden away. He unfolded the paper and looked at the tiny text.

"See! It says minimum players needed is two." Naruto flipped the instructions over to show Sasuke. "Join me?"

"Fine." Sasuke rolled off the couch and onto the floor. He moved to examine the contents of the game further. He picked up one of the lettered tiles. Naruto glanced over. The tile was an A.

"Uh oh. Scrabble is a word game. I think you're gonna win this one," Naruto said. "I don't know that many big words."

"You afraid?" A mischievous glint that had been absent from Sasuke's eyes for a awhile sparkled. It made Naruto happy to see that Sasuke was slowly returning to himself.

"Not at all. I'm simply pointing out that word games aren't my area of expertise."

"Expertise. That's a start."

"It's probably the best you'll get out of me." Naruto unfolded the large board and set it between them. He moved so that he and Sasuke were across each other.

"I'm surprised you liked this game as a kid. It's not what I would have thought of when I pictured the kinds of things you enjoyed."

"I always liked games where I had to use my mind," Sasuke said. "Puzzles, riddles, you name it."

"You were a smart kid."

"I guess." Sasuke looked over more of the tiles. "Do you want to hand them out or should I?"

"I can." Naruto scooped up a bunch of letters and divided them between him and Sasuke. He left the rest in the velvet bag that came in the box.

"I think I need two more," Sasuke said, peering over at the excess letters leftover. Naruto picked up two additional letters and handed them to him.

Looking down at his own letters, he didn't see much he could spell. All of the words in the English language evaporated from his mental vocabulary. He scratched the back of his neck and continued to see if he could spell anything coherent.

"Oh! Got it!" Naruto slammed down five letters onto the board, glancing at Sasuke with what he guessed was a proud expression. One of Sasuke's brows lifted. Naruto saw his gaze flicker over the arrangement. A groan followed not long after.

"Wings. How clever."

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Thank you, thank you. Maybe I was wrong. I think I have it in the bag."

While Naruto was giving a speech for his word, Sasuke set down a collection of letters himself. Naruto stopped speaking and looked. Staring back up at him was a word he had never seen before in his life.

"Quixotic? That's not even a read word!"

"Yes it is." Sasuke hummed. "Look it up if you don't believe me."

"Sounds like your ballet." Naruto took out his phone and did a quick search.

_Quixotic: adjective_

_exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical._

"Some may refer to you as quixotic," Sasuke said. "Your turn."

"I'm not unrealistic!" Naruto clicked his phone off. "Mean." He looked through his letters and rubbed his chin. "What happens if you can't make any words?"

"You can use your turn to trade out letters."

Naruto put three of his letters into the bag and took out three new ones. He looked them over curiously.

"Your turn again, I guess."

"Don't mind if I do." Sasuke took his turn. Naruto looked down.

_Tetrad_

"I feel like you're making this up."

"You can look that one up too." Sasuke smirked. "You'll see it on the internet as well."

"I'll take your word for it." Naruto placed down his second word; _dog_.

"You're putting down some big words," Sasuke said sarcastically, running his thumb over an X.

"My next word is going to be cat. Watch."

Scrabble went on for the next hour; with Naruto being shocked by all of the big words Sasuke knew and Sasuke rolling his eyes at Naruto's less than stellar vocabulary. When Sasuke won by a large margin, Naruto couldn't say he was surprised.

"Wanna play again?" Naruto asked after clearing the letters off the board. Sasuke shook his head.

"I think I'm gonna take a nap." He stood up. "Thank you. That was fun." Sasuke walked back to his bedroom, the door closing gently behind him.

Naruto picked up the board and put it in the box. He set the game at the top of the closet near the door with a post-it note on top.

_Till next time. I'll be reading dictionaries until then :) -N_

Naruto grabbed his jacket and left Sasuke to take his well-deserved nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked the new chapter :) When I say not all men, I mean Naruto and Naruto alone. He's such a good boyfriend. Also happy 8 months to Allegro!! This fic has grown so much beyond what was originally planned and reaching these milestones is so exciting. I can't wait till it's one year.


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